Brasília – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called today (30th) for the entry of Syria in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “We defend the end of hurdles stunting the country’s entry in the WTO,” said Lula during a luncheon offered to his Syrian colleague, Bashar Al Assad, at Itamaraty Palace, the seat of the Brazilian foreign office, in Brazilian capital Brasília. Assad is on an official visit to Brazil.
The government of the United States has lifted its veto on the country’s entry in the organisation. Syria applied for a seat in 2001. Despite the end of the US veto, the country still maintains unilateral sanctions against Damascus.
The sanctions were imposed during the term in office of former president George W. Bush and directly affect one of the main reform policies of the government in Damascus, which is the economic opening process that has been under implementation for the last 10 years.
Lula pointed out that the “capacity to overcome barriers and share experiences is the main booster of our relations.” He added that Assad’s trip confirms a partnership launched in 2003, when the Brazilian president visited Damascus.
“We have an alliance based on solid figures. Trade has grown fourfold and now reaches US$ 300 million,” he said. “The tendency is for growth in a multilateral system with trade that is more representative of the wishes of the developing world,” he added. That is the reason for defence of the entry of Syria in the WTO.
Lula also said that the establishment of the Brazil-Syria Business Council “opens opportunities to multiply trade and stimulate investment”. The council, which is being formed, is presided, on the Brazilian side, by Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Salim Taufic Schahin.
Assad, in turn, said that in the closed meeting he had with Lula he suggested the establishment of a free trade agreement between his country and the Mercosur. The South American bloc is already negotiating similar treaties with several Arab countries, and the most advanced talks are being developed with Egypt.
“This was one of the points I discussed with president Lula and I believe that it may help expand bilateral relations as well as those between Syria and Latin America in general,” said the Syrian president. Today, both governments signed agreements in the legal, agricultural, health and technical cooperation areas.
Mediation
Assad seized the opportunity to give thanks for the Brazilian stances regarding conflict in the Middle East, against war in Iraq, for the establishment of the Palestinian state, in the negotiation of an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, and in supporting the returning of Golan Heights to Syria. The territory was occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War, in 1967.
Regarding the agreement negotiated by Brazil and Turkey with Iran, in May, Assad claimed that it is a “crucial point” for solving the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme through negotiation, without a war. “[The agreement] has paved the way to a pacific solution,” he said. The treaty, however, has not prevented the UN Security Council from imposing new sanctions on Iran.
The Syrian president added that his country has made efforts to make peace with Israel and solve the Golan impasse, and that the latest attempt was made with the intermediation of Turkey, in late 2008. “But Israel always poses an obstacle,” he claimed.
Lula’s special advisor for international affairs, Marco Aurélio Garcia, said in an interview that the two heads of state discussed the Golan issue at the meeting. He believes Brazil may play a part in the negotiation, because it supports the Syrian proposal of trading territories for peace, i.e., the returning of the region would lead relations with Israel back to normal.
“We are confident that the proposal is perfectly acceptable for the Israeli government,” said Garcia. He added that the Israeli prime-minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, should come to Brazil in August and that “this will be a good occasion for furthering the dialogue.”
To the journalists, Lula only said that the meeting with the Syrian president “was extraordinary.” “I believe that a lot is about to happen in the world, and we want to take part in it,” he asserted.
Earlier, over luncheon, Lula stated once again that Brazil wants to “be a partner” in the Middle East peace process. In that respect, he claimed that Syria is “of utmost importance in the quest for pacification.” According to Garcia, the two presidents agreed that there must be unity among Palestinians in order for peace to be achieved with Israel. Syria, according to him, has influence on Palestinian groups and may help their rival factions, Fattah and Hamas, to reach and agreement.
Garcia also claimed that Brazil is expected to continue encouraging negotiation in the Middle East. Assad also called for a permanent seat for Brazil in the UN Security Council.
*Translated by Mark Ament and Gabriel Pomerancblum
