Alexandre Rocha, special envoy*
Brasilia – The Sudanese government wants Petrobras, Brazilian oil company, to invest in oil exploration in the Arab country. This was one of the topics discussed yesterday (09) during a bilateral meeting between the Foreign Relations ministers from Brazil, Celso Amorim, and from Sudan, Mustafa Osman Ismail. "We invited Petrobras to go to Sudan work in our oil sector," said Ismail to ANBA.
According to the Sudanese minister, his country has an enormous potential in the sector. "In August our oil exports should reach 500,000 barrels per day and, in 2008, reach 2 million barrels per day," he stated. "Preliminary studies show that Sudan is located over a real oil lake," he added.
According to him, a series of international companies have already acted in the sector in his country. Companies from China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, other Arab countries and France.
As well as oil, Ismail asserted that the increase in economic relations with Brazil is essential. For him, Sudan "needs" Brazilian products, especially directed to the infrastructure area, such as highways and airports. The minister said the Sudanese government plans on investing US$ 6 billion in the sector this year.
"We are interested in increasing trade, the Arab countries need Brazil, and the South American countries, for agriculture products for example, in the same way as Brazil needs the Arabs for oil," he declared. Ismail emphasised also that Sudan has strategic location, by the margins of the Red Sea, fertile lands and abundant water resources.
In the diplomatic field, Ismail sent his Brazilian counterpart an invitation for president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit the country. He recalled that in January next year Sudan will host the Summit for African Countries and, in March, the Summit for Arab Countries. "In these events there will be the chance for president Lula to participate as a special guest," he stated.
As well as Ismail, Amorim also met with his counterparts from Egypt, Ahmed Aboul Gheit; from Algeria, Abdelaziz Belkhadem; from Qatar, Ahmed Abdulla Al-Mahmoud; from Tunisia, Abdelbaki Hermassi; and from Suriname, Maria Elisabeth Levens.
Cultural agreement
With the Egyptian government, Amorim signed an agreement in the cultural area. The document foresees, amongst other things, exchange of shows and artistic exhibits, film exhibitions, the possibility of joint distribution of films, the cooperation between museums, exhibits representing the cultural heritage of each country, the improvement of the legislation on copyright and the translation of selected pieces of work.
The treaty also foresees cooperation in the education area, with the possibility for the creation mechanisms of exchange between teachers, for curricular innovation, teaching children with special needs, literacy programmes for teenagers and adults, among other things.
"We signed a cultural agreement, but we hope that the minister (Gheit) may come back to Brazil in a longer visit because, as well as this general context, in which both countries evidently carry out a very important role, it is also fundamental that the two greatest countries in the Arab world and in South America may meet," said Amorim, according to information from Agência Brasil. "Egypt and Brazil have always had excellent political and cultural relations," added Gheit.
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
