Alexandre Rocha*
São Paulo – The next meeting of diplomats and Arab and South American government employees is scheduled to take place in January, in Cairo, the Egyptian capital. These meetings will serve for the purpose of following through with the decisions taken during the Summit of South American – Arab Countries, which took place in Brazilian capital Brasília in May 2005. "This will be the third meeting of high government executives," said to ANBA the coordinator for Summit follow-up at the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), Ânuar Nahes.
Since the summit, there have also been meetings of ministers of Culture in Algiers, and of the economic area, in Quito, Ecuador. According to the agenda proposal for the Cairo meeting, the executive committees established to accompany the development of the actions for cooperation in the areas of culture and economics should start operating in the sidelines of the event.
Last week, the Itamaraty called to its offices in Brasília representatives of the Ministries of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Tourism and Mines and Energy and of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce to discuss the Brazilian proposals for cooperation in the economic area.
Among the suggestions presented is the organization of meetings between operators of commercial promotion, both public and private, which may result in the organization of joint trade missions, participation in business fairs, exchange of information and establishment of bilateral business councils.
In Brazil, for example, the organizations involved are the Ministries of Foreign Relations, the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), the Bank of Brazil, the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), the National Confederation of Industries (CNI) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber, among others.
The secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, who was at the meeting last week, stated that the organization may offer training to foreign trade operators in the Arab countries, showing them how the system works in Brazil. Alaby also suggested the simplification of the issue of visas for businessmen.
The secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber defended, among other things, better exchange of information between both blocs and greater harmonization of statistics produced in each country, as well as the signing of treaties for the promotion and protection of investment and to avoid dual income tax over profits obtained in business. He also proposed incentives for exchange between financial institutions and the acceleration of trade negotiations that the Mercosur is promoting with Egypt, Morocco and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Itamaraty, in turn, proposed the organization of meetings between representatives of development banks and regulator authorities in the financial and capital markets of both blocs, to discuss matters like the establishment of regional investment funds, cooperation among stock markets and exchange of information.
Among the proposals is the organization of trade missions in the area of energy, including oil, gas and bio-fuels. The industrial sector should also be included, considering areas like petrochemical, vehicle, auto parts, machinery and equipment, pharmaceutical and construction material. The delegations should also contemplate services, like information technology, financial and capital markets, engineering and construction as well as the agribusiness sector, including the food, irrigation and biotechnology.
Arab League
The League of Arab States, in turn, is proposing the organization of a conference of Arab and South American businessmen up to the second half of 2008, with the objective of promoting foreign trade, investment and economic cooperation. The organization also proposes the organization of joint studies to expand cooperation in certain sectors, especially in the areas of energy and infrastructure.
The League also suggests actions in the area of development of human resources, like professional training, the concession of scholarships as well as recognition and cooperation among teaching institutions.
All of these proposals already consider the next meeting of ministers in the economic area, to take place in April, in Morocco. At the meeting in Cairo, diplomats are also going to discuss the organization of meetings between ministers in the Social, Environment and Foreign Relations areas.
*Translated by Mark Ament
