Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – The Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil (Itamaraty) expects the participation of around 200 Arab businessmen in the activities to take place in parallel to the Summit of Arab-South American countries. This forecast is by ambassador Mario Vilalva, of the Itamaraty Trade Promotion Department, who was at the offices of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), in São Paulo, yesterday, to discuss the matter. The meeting of heads of state is going to take place on May 10 and 11 in Brazilian capital Brasília. The activities turned to the business sector – investment fair, seminars and business meetings – should begin in advance, on the 9th, and go on up to the 11th.
At the summit a framework agreement should be signed, and it should open negotiations for a tariff preference treaty between the Mercosur, the customs union between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The announcement was made by the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, during his last tour of the Arab countries. According to Vilalva, the secretary general of the Council, Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyad, was invited to come to Brazil one week before the summit so as to discuss the matter with representatives of the Mercosur.
The May meeting should improve relations between both regions, both in the diplomatic and commercial area. "What is desired at this moment is the establishment of a new network of contacts, to make Arab and Brazilian businessmen get to know each other," stated Vilalva. At the site of the meeting there will be a service centre, through which Arab and Brazilian businessmen may seek potential trade partners to discuss and negotiate. Interpreters and intermediaries will also be working to bring together businessmen with similar interests. There will be specific meeting rooms. In Brasília, however, there will not be previously prepared collective business roundtables.
At the seminar, to open the activities on the 9th of May, four topics will be discussed: mechanisms for integration, among them accords and tariffs, which both regions and countries already have, the perspectives of greater trade, legislation and investment opportunities, and closer cultural and tourist ties.
"We also want closer cultural ties that may help generate business," stated the ambassador. The seminars will include the presence of ministers of state of organizations and blocs to be represented at the summit, among them the Mercosur, the League of Arab States, the GCC and the Andean Community (CAN).
The Itamaraty is also inviting to the summit representatives of 35 financial institutions, in which Arab businessmen allocate a large volume of investments. These are foreign banks administered by funds. They were identified through a study ordered by the Itamaraty to a British consultancy company.
Between May 9 and 11 there will also be an investment fair, in which the 34 South American and Arab countries will have 25 square-metre stands. There they may present from investment opportunities to the tourist potential of their countries.
New axis
Vilalva stated that the summit will be useful to make trade relations between Brazil and the Arab countries more stable and to create a new foreign policy axis, like the one existing with other regions of the world, among them Europe.
Brazilian and foreign businessmen may register for the activities on site www.braziltradenet.gov.br. Participation is free. At the site there is also information regarding practical matters, like lodging and visas.
*Translated by Mark Ament
