Brasília – This Tuesday (18), the Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff spoke for the end of violent repression to protests against Bashar Al Assad’s regime in Syria and the end of international interventions in Libya as a solution to the conflicts plaguing those countries. The president’s stance is in line with those of the other Ibsa members, India and South Africa, whose heads of state are gathered today in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, for the fifth summit of the bloc.
“In Syria, we stand for an immediate end to repression and nationwide dialogue to reach a non-violent solution. In Libya, we are certain that armed interventions, especially those outside the scope of international law, do not bring peace nor protect human rights. They cause conflicts to worsen instead of solving them. Thus, we salute the African Union’s mediation, and in particular the leadership of [South African] president Jacob Zuma throughout this conflict,” said the president.
Rousseff spoke for a negotiated solution today during an address alongside the host, South African president, Jacob Zuma, and the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Same as at the opening of the UN’s 66th General Assembly last month, the Brazilian president criticized the interventionist policies spearheaded mainly by the United States. “Much has been said of the responsibility to protect oneself; little has been said of the responsibility to protect others. This responsibility to protect others has been the object of South Africa, India and Brazil’s initiatives within the UN Security Council.”
Another point stressed by Rousseff was the need to keep seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council. To her, the organization’s “legitimacy” depends on the inclusion of emerging countries.
“The presence of our countries at the Security Council in 2011 has once again shown that we possess all necessary credentials to take a permanent seat and provide the organization with the legitimacy that it lacks. Our stance in the face of recent political events in the Middle East and North Africa is proof of it,” she said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
