São Paulo – At a meeting held in Ramallah, in the West Bank, yesterday and today (17th), negotiators for the Mercosur and Palestine have decided to seek to sign a free trade agreement before the year ends.
According to a communiqué issued by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty), the two delegations “have agreed to the deadline of signing the treaty during the Mercosur Summit," which is due December in Montevideo, Uruguay. The latter country holds the rotating presidency of the South American bloc, which also includes Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
According to the Itamaraty, the Palestinian delegation, headed by the minister of National Economy, Hasan Abu Libdeh, has informed that the Palestinian National Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, will attend the Mercosur Summit.
The communiqué states that “the negotiation of this agreement reflects the support from Mercosur countries to an independent, economically viable Palestine that will coexist peacefully with all its neighbours.” The bloc’s delegation was headed by the director of Integration of the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Relations, Valeria Csukasi.
According to the communiqué, Libdeh stated that the signing of the agreement “is very important and will contribute to the building of Palestinian institutions.” The Palestinians are seeking the recognition of their state by the United Nations. The request is being considered by the UN Security Council, but is opposed by the United States, which has veto powers.
Brazil and other South American countries have already recognized Palestine formally, and support its entry into the UN as a permanent member. According to the Itamaraty, the two delegations meeting in Ramallah highlighted “the importance of boosting economic and commercial ties, sharing experience with regard to economic development, and cooperating in the field of training.”
The idea of a trade agreement between the Mercosur and Palestine was launched in 2009 during Abbas’ visit to Brazil, but the Palestinians had already expressed their willingness to negotiate earlier, because in 2007, the South American bloc signed a similar deal with Israel, which occupies the Palestinian territories.
In 2008, for instance, during the 2nd Summit of South American-Arab Countries, in Doha, Qatar, the PNA’s foreign minister, Riad Malki, said in an interview that if the Mercosur had already signed the agreement with the Israelis, it should also sign with Palestine.
Approximately 10 days ago, in an interview to ANBA, the director of the Middle East Department at the Itamaraty, Carlos Ceglia, said he expects the agreement with Palestine to be signed by the end of 2012. If what was said at the meeting over the last two days in Ramallah proves true, the forecast will be brought forward a year.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
