Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – The Foreign Minister of Morocco, Mohammed Benaïssa, is in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, today (14) to discuss issues pertaining to cooperation with the government of Brazil. Benaïssa, who is also the minister of Cooperation of the Arab country, is going to meet with the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, in the afternoon. Benaïssa should deliver a letter from the king of Morocco, Mohamed VI, to president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The two heads of state met in November 2004, when they signed a frame agreement that marked the beginning of negotiations for a free trade agreement between Mercosur and the Arab country. The agreement has not been concluded yet. During the meeting with Amorim, according to the press office of the Itamaraty (Brazilian Foreign Office), international cooperation issues will be tackled. The meeting of the two foreign ministers will be behind closed doors.
The Moroccan minister also has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with the president of the Lower House, Arlindo Chinaglia (PT). In previous visits to Brazil – Benaïssa has already been to the country four times -, the minister met with representatives of the Legislative branch, as well as of the Executive.
The relations between Brazil and Morocco have been growing. In addition to bilateral trade, which reached US$ 68 million between January and February, Brazil also has investments in the Arab country. Brazilian company Randon, for instance, built an industrial plant for assembly of trailers and semi-trailers in the Arab country. The Sublime Ailleurs, a luxury hotel in Marrakech, has Augusto Rodrigues, from Brazil, as one of its partners.
The two countries are also willing to cooperate in the agricultural sector. Morocco expressed its interest in signing an agreement with the office of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) based in Ghana, Africa. The Moroccans want to benefit from the Brazilian experience in biodiesel production, according to information provided by Embrapa.
The Moroccan minister will stay in Brazil until this evening. Before going to Brasília, the foreign minister visited Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where he met with government officials, among them the Argentine minister of Foreign Relations, Jorge Taiana. During a meeting held on Monday (12), they talked about strengthening the ties between the two countries and also discussed global multilateral issues, according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Relations. After leaving Brazil, Benaïssa will travel to Paraguay to meet with local leaders.
Benaïssa has vast experience in diplomacy and foreign relations. He was a politician in his own country, Morocco, and also held leadership positions at the United Nations (UN). In April, Morocco will host a meeting of ministers in the field of economics from South American and Arab countries. The meeting will resume the discussion of issues pertaining to the Summit of South American – Arab Countries, held in May 2005 in the capital of Brazil.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
