A new alliance of some of the world's poorest countries forged during the last week's global trade talks has changed the entire dynamics of world politics, the foreign minister of Brazil told The Independent yesterday.

In an exclusive interview, Celso Amorim said the formation of the Group of 21 nations (G21) had "reshuffled the cards" by creating a powerful counterweight to Washington and Brussels. The creation of the G21 has been one of the most significant developments of the World Trade Organisation meetings that have dominated the Mexican beach resort of Cancun since Wednesday.

Thanks to tough negotiating by the G21, analysts believe that the world's two most powerful economic blocs have been prevented from riding roughshod over the 100-plus countries that make up the developing world. It has also enhanced the reputation of Brazil - the leading voice in the G21 and the country with the largest democratic support for any left-wing government in the world - and the administration led by the uneducated steelworker Lula da Silva. "We have gained the political initiative," said Mr Amorim on the fringes of the conference.

(From: The Independent September 15^th 2003 - slightly adapted.)