Alexandre Rocha, special envoy*
Brasília – The president of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, stated today, during the ceremony opening the Summit of South American – Arab Countries, that the nations in both regions must work for globalisation to benefit both economic blocs. "We may make globalisation work in our favour. For this it is necessary to promote South-South trade and greater cooperation," he said.
In the evaluation of the president, there is an enormous potential for cooperation in strategic areas. According to him, the summit declaration itself suggests that the countries involved go after partnerships in the areas of telecommunications, energy, transports and research.
To Bouteflika, relations must be sponsored so that the partnerships promoted may be real, open, transparent and strategic. He challenged businessmen from both regions to be daring in the attempt to increase trade and investment. "I am sure that businessmen know the importance of this," he declared.
According to the Algerian president, the strengthening of South-South relations is going to open new opportunities, apart from those already existing with other traditional partners like the United States and the European Union.
Bouteflika pointed out the importance of Arab immigration for the formation of the South American identity and invited the immigrants to play "an efficient part for the construction of ties of unity." He stated that both regions should work together for economic development, for obedience of rights and the fight against terrorism and for the transfer of technology.
In this sense, he defended the rapid reform of the United Nations (UN) and that international institutions act for the solution of international crises. He called attention to the urgency for a proposition that results in peaceful relations between the Israelis and Palestinians. "We must call the entire international community to reach a definite solution to this question," he declared.
Also regarding the matter of the search for understanding, the secretary general of the League of Arab States, Amr Mussa, stated that it is a pleasure to have a the summit the presence of the recently elected Iraqi president Jalal Talbani. To Mussa the election in Iraq crystallizes the beginning of an Iraqi unity.
*Translated by Mark Ament
