Alexandre Rocha*
São Paulo – The proposal for the declaration to be debated at the summit of Arab and South American countries, in May, in Brazilian capital Brasília, will include 12 areas of possible cooperation between both regions. The minutes were discussed during a meeting between representatives of the 34 countries involved on March 24 and 25, during a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both regions, in Morocco. The meeting was co-presided by the ministers of Foreign Relations of Brazil, Celso Amorim, and of Algeria, Abdelaziz Belkhadem. Algeria is currently presiding the League of Arab States.
According to information supplied by the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), among the topics included in the proposal are economic cooperation and trade. "We already have various converging processes with Morocco, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). We have already achieved a significant amount, therefore there is no reason, in the near future, not to foresee a great free trade zone," stated the Brazilian ambassador in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, Mário Simas Magalhães.
The "significant amount" that has been achieved, according to the diplomat, refers to the negotiations that are under way between the Mercosur – the customs union between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – and Egypt and Morocco regarding tariff preference agreements, and the intention of the GCC, the customs union between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman, of beginning a similar process.
During talks at the Marrakech meeting, minister Celso Amorim also addressed the matter. "I had the privilege of being invited to the Arab summit, by (Algerian) president (Abdelaziz) Bouteflika and I could see how the worlds integration and free trade have become important among the Arab countries," he said, referring to the summit of heads of state of the League of Arab States that took place on March 22 and 23 in Algiers.
The proposal for the complete declaration also includes the strengthening of bi-regional cooperation and of relations in the multilateral plan and the international financial system. The idea, within these chapters, is promotion of joint actions in the scope of international institutions, like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The document also covers themes that are common to both regions and to developing countries in general, such as sustainable development, the development of the so-called South-South cooperation (among developing countries), actions against hunger and poverty, the development of measures connected to the social area and general mechanisms for cooperation.
The minutes, according to the Itamaraty, also include chapters about cooperation in the cultural area, cooperation in science and technology and about the information society. Until the summit, the document will be discussed by each of the governments involved.
Mercosur-Morocco agreement
During his visit to Marrakech, minister Amorim also had a separate meeting with his Moroccan colleague, Mohamed Benaïssa. According to Simas Magalhães, Benaïssa repeated the invitation for Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Morocco. The king of the Arab country, Mohammed VI, paid an official visit to Brazil in November last year.
Both ministers also discussed the matter of negotiations between the Mercosur and Morocco. During the visit of the Moroccan king to Brazil, a framework agreement was signed, and it began the process. Both parties hope to sign a general agreement, i.e., the main body of the treaty, during the May summit. The discussion of lists of products to receive tariff preference would be kept for the second half of the year, according to Magalhães.
Amorim and Benaïssa also discussed the matter of election to the position of general director of the WTO. Brazil has registered the candidacy of ambassador Luiz Felipe Seixas Corrêa. The Moroccan government, however, has not yet defined what candidate to support. They also discussed the proposal of reform of the United Nations Security Council and the organization of the first meeting of the Brazil-Morocco bilateral mixed committee, made up of representatives of government organizations and of the private companies.
*Translated by Mark Ament
