Agência Brasil*
Pretoria (South Africa) – The final document of the Second Summit of Ibsa, the group that brings together India, Brazil and South Africa, presented today (17), defends the reform of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, but asks for priority for the return to negotiations of the Doha Rounds, which forecast the elimination of barriers to free trade.
In a press conference after presentation of the document, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that in this area there are no friends, but state interests, and they are, mostly, opposite. "It is not a group of friends, it is State interests against State interests, and we seek a middle ground in which the poor countries win and the rich countries give way," stated the president.
Lula said he believes that an agreement may be closed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). "South Africa, Brazil and India believe that an agreement may be signed."
Regarding the reform of the UN Security Council, Lula pointed out that the current geopolitics is very different from that of 60 or 70 years ago. To him, the council needs to be reformulated so there may be no more episodes like the Gulf War, in 2003. "Many countries have gained importance in their continents and should be represented in the council. This is so that what happened in Iraq may not happen again in the scope of the UN. If not, the UN loses its credibility and need for existence."
*Translated by Mark Ament
