Agência Brasil Brasília – The Brazilian government was pleased with the results of the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting that ended this weekend in Geneva, Switzerland. Brazil and other developing countries achieved a major victory over the rich nations: the inclusion of an agreement to eliminate agricultural export subsidies in the document approved by the
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According to information supplied by the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), the offer includes privileged treatment to companies that create physical presence in the country. Among the sectors included are consultancy, market research, equipment maintenance, photography, tourism, construction, and sports, among others.
The secretary general of the Argentine Arab Chamber of Commerce, Sattam Al Kaddour, affirms that the bloc needs approximation with the Arab world as a whole. At the Mercosur summit next week, Egypt will close a framework agreement with the four South American countries that are members of the group, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Morocco manifested, at the beginning of this year, interest in a treaty with Mercosur, the common market of the South.
The Brazilian president believes in the meeting of heads of state, which was his idea and should take place early next year. At the opening ceremony of the Brazil-Colombia Business Roundtable, he spoke of the integration of South America and the increased participation of developing countries in international trade.
With this phrase, the Brazilian ambassador summarized the accomplishments of the 11th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), which finished in São Paulo today (18). To him, the developing nations left conscious of the need for diversification of their economies.
One of the final documents of the conference, ending today in São Paulo, proclaims that member countries of the World Trade Organization have the responsibility to answer to development matters in their commercial negotiations. The text also pressures the United Nations system to pursue the goal of poverty reduction in half, by 2015.
According to Argentine ambassador Alfredo Chiaradia, who currently presides the committee of members of the Global System for Trade Preferences Among Developing Countries, the third round of negotiations is not going to be limited to reduction of tariffs. He also added that the debate might advance beyond goods trade and include the service sector.
The country candidacy was presented yesterday by the country Ministry of Trade secretary, Slaheddine Makhlouf. According to the Tunisian ambassador in Brazilian capital Brasília, Hassine Bouzid, the next conference, in 2008, should be organized in an African nation.
This information was provided to ANBA by ambassador Naela Gabr, country permanent representative in Geneva. She also pointed out the importance of the G-20 for developing countries, which for the first time managed to have an influence on the World Trade Organization (WTO).
According to the president, an important step has already been taken with the signing of a free trade agreement with the Andean Community. In a speech to the participants of the Civil Society Forum, he defended "a new, complementary relationship" between the developing countries.
The Brazilian president especially wants modifications in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for calculations on public spending. The changes would allow allocation of more resources toward investments. "It is a good fight," he said. UN secretary general Kofi Annan added that it is necessary to think of "creative" ways to finance development.
At the opening of the 11th Unctad in São Paulo, the Brazilian president criticized the "erroneous recipes" that have underestimated the role of public investments over the last years, and said that commerce, in itself, will not bring development. The secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan, criticized the "incoherence" of developed nations who preach formulas, but do not follow them.
The special envoy from the Kingdom of Bahrain, sheikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, stated that cooperation and partnership is the best route for developing countries to grow. Yesterday (14), the Moroccan minister of Foreign Trade called the representatives of other countries present at the Unctad to find solutions for poor countries to solve their debts. Apart from these two, another representative from Arab countries, the Kuwaiti minister of Industry and Trade, spoke on the first day of debat
