São Paulo – The minister of Economy of Palestine, Hassan Abu-Libdeh, said on Wednesday (15), in São Paulo, that he hopes negotiations of a free trade agreement between the Mercosur and his country should develop rapidly. "We are going to try to complete them as soon as possible," he said to ANBA, after a luncheon with businessmen at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. "We want to see whether it is possible to conclude them by the end of the year," he added.
The minister is in Brazil to sign a framework agreement with the Mercosur, officially starting talks. The signing should take place on Thursday, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, in the sidelines of the summit of the South American bloc, to end on Friday.
The idea of the treaty was issued in November last year, when the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, visited Brazil. The bloc already has free trade agreements with Egypt and Israel. In the face of the second case, and taking into consideration the long-standing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, negotiations with Palestine have become very important for Brazilian diplomacy.
At the luncheon, Libdeh stated that the agreement "will be an important step to translate the excellent political relations [between Brazil and Palestine] into excellent economic relations." To ANBA, he pointed out that, when completed, the treaty should allow for total opening in terms of investment and trade of goods and services.
Another objective of the visit, according to the minister, was to get in contact with the Arab Brazilian Chamber and with Brazilian businessmen to present the business opportunities offered by his country. "We are interested in winning part of the Brazilian market," he said. "And we count on your assistance to get there," he said, over lunch. “If we can export just US$ 200 million, which is little if compared to Brazilian imports, there should be great work opportunities for the Palestinians," he added.
The president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Salim Taufic Schahin, stated that Palestinian products such as olive oil and handicraft may enjoy good acceptance in Brazil. "I know these products and I know that they will please the tastes of the Brazilians," said he, who travelled to the West Bank in November 2009 and in March this year.
Libdeh claimed that the Palestinian economy is small, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around US$ 5.5 billion, but there are investment opportunities in sectors such as tourism and agriculture, as well as other yet untapped areas. "But we do not want donations, we want the businessmen to have return on their investment," he said.
In tourism, Schahin stated that there is room for increasing the flow of Brazilian visitors. "Religious tourism is a very important feature when it comes to attracting visitors," said he, underscoring that the region attract Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber also said the organization will work hard to expand economic ties between Brazil and Palestine in coming years. The minister suggested for a bilateral entrepreneurial council to be established.
State
In an interview, Libdeh stated that the recognition of Palestine as a state, first by Brazil, approximately two weeks ago, and then by Argentina, is an important message to the international community that it "is high time to act" regarding the Israeli occupation issue.
"[The announcement] has come at a good time and we hope it will be followed by other countries in Latin America and worldwide, because then it will be hard for Israel to continue ignoring the will of the international community," said the minister. To him, the actions of Brazil and Argentina are good for the peace process in the region, and reflect the ethical, moral and political stances of the two countries.
*Translated by Mark Ament and Gabriel Pomerancblum
