Alexandre Rocha*
São Paulo – The ministers of Foreign Relations of the Arab and South American countries are going to meet in Marrakech, in Morocco, on the 25th and 26th of this month so as to discuss the details of the summit between the heads of state of the Arab and South American countries, scheduled for May 10th and 11th in Brazilian capital Brasília. Among the objectives of the ministerial meeting is the discussion of pending points in the final declaration, to be discussed and probably approved, at the summit.
“We have a preliminary document, but we have already advanced very much. The main focus is the economic and commercial area,” stated minister Ernesto Otto Rubarth, of the general undersecretariat for political affairs at the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty). According to him, it is already a consensus among the countries involved that economic questions will be the main theme of the summit. “If all pending matters are not solved in Marrakech, they will probably already be well under way,” he added.
According to Rubarth, the official agenda of the meeting in Morocco will be defined by the League of Arab States after consultations with Brazil, the country in charge of coordinating the summit on the South American side. But, according to him, the debate about the points in the final declaration, the organization of events in parallel to the events and the definition of logistics questions, will certainly be included in the minutes. The themes to be discussed by the heads of state during debate sessions should also be defined in Marrakech.
In the economic area, the objective of the declaration is to make the participants, all developing countries, take on the engagement of better articulating themselves so as to act in “great international forums”, like the World Trade Organization (WTO), and take similar decisions with regard to themes of general interest, such as access to markets and the reform of the international financial system. "The idea is to make these countries operate in synchronicity," stated Rubarth.
Another point to be included in the final declaration is the stimulation to bi-regional trade, with the adoption of actions, like the exchange of economic information and the organization of market studies, so that businessmen may learn about business opportunities in each country.
"Reciprocal knowledge is not yet that intense. With these actions, the intention is to permit, for example, that a businessman from Algeria interested in doing business in Peru, or a company from Yemen, interested in negotiating with Venezuela, or a Brazilian businessman after business with Saudi Arabia, to know more about the countries, generating the possibility of talking a little more and identifying business opportunities," stated Rubarth.
Businessmen and cooperation
In this respect, still in Marrakech, the Foreign Ministers are going to discuss the organization of business meetings to take place in parallel to the summit in Brasília. Initially, there will be a seminar about the macroeconomical profile of both regions and an investment fair. The activities to take place in parallel should begin on March 09th and end on the 11th.
According to Rubarth, each country will have the right to a 25 square metre stand at the Ulisses Guimarães Convention Centre, so as to announce projects that may attract foreign investment and existing business opportunities.
Within the declaration, another topic that will deserve attention, according to the diplomat, is cooperation in the cultural, scientific and technological areas. In this part, for example, the results of the seminar about the semi-arid and water resources, which took place in the city of Fortaleza, capital of the northeastern state of Ceará, last year, should be used. The event included 14 specialists from both blocs.
"The declaration, with approval of the heads of state, is going to provide political support so that cooperation in this field may be implemented. From then on, organizations like the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and similar organizations in other countries may start discussing specific projects," stated Rubarth. The document should also contemplate some political themes that are part of the international agenda.
In the Moroccan city, the ministers are also going to define details of the summit infrastructure, including times and places for the events to take place, security measures, ceremonies, etc.
South American reality
In Marrakech, also on the 23rd, there will be a seminar about "the South American reality", and it will focus mainly on cultural aspects on the continent. According to Rubarth, it will be an academic event covering topics like the formation of the South American countries, historical and current integration processes and the contribution of Arab immigrants to the formation of the South American society.
The event will be similar to one organized in São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, in September 2004, covering the reality of the Arab countries.
Before the summit, already in the city of Brasília, there should be events on May 08 and 09, among them a meeting of "high officials" of the countries involved and a last Foreign Minister meeting so as to organize the details that may still be pending.
*Translated by Mark Ament
