Alexandre Rocha, special envoy*
Cairo – Creating mechanisms for the promotion of bi-regional trade and establishing partnerships in strategic sectors, like energy, telecommunications, transport and research. These are the suggestions of the document to be presented at the summit between Arab and South American countries, to which the Brazil Arab News Agency (ANBA) had exclusive access. The meeting is going to take place in Brazilian capital Brasília on May 10 and 11.
The text has been discussed over the last months between diplomats from the countries involved. The last minutes came out of a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Arab and South American countries that took place in March, in Marrakech, Morocco. It will bow be submitted to the heads of state, in Brasília.
According to the document, such mechanisms as exchange in the commercial and investment area will serve as steps for development. They are inserted in the so-called South-South cooperation, between developing countries.
With regard to the success of this cooperation, the proposal shows the importance of the advance of regional integration processes. On the South American side, the South American Community of Nations was recently released. On the Arab side, at the beginning of this year, the treaty that created the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (Gafta) was enacted.
The document lists some measures to be taken to strengthen economic and trade relations, among them the identification of mechanisms for cooperation between regulators in the transport sector – river, sea or air. The text also pointed out the need for promotion of exchange in the tourism sector, with the organization of fairs and promotional events.
According to the proposal, which may be modified by the heads of state, the countries are engaged in regular presentation of updated figures regarding trade, investments and tourism, through agreements between export and investment promotion agencies and the organization of business missions and seminars.
The text also suggests that the countries involved make all possible concessions during the current round of the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP). The GSTP was created by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) to strengthen the exchange of tariff concessions between developing countries.
Trade distortion
Still in the economic area, the minutes point out the need to eliminate the distortions in foreign trade, especially in the agricultural area. Some nations participating, like Brazil, Argentina and Egypt, are in the G-20, the group that is fighting against rich country subsidies to the agricultural sector in the scope of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In the same line, according to the proposal, the countries participating will be engaged in the strengthening of the WTO and the completion of the Doha round, as the current phase of negotiations at the organization, which began in the Qatari capital, are called. The text also defends support so that the nations participating in the summit and that are not yet members of the WTO be integrated into the organization in a "satisfactory and fast" manner.
Social
In case it is approved as it is today, the countries involved will also be engaged in supporting reforms of the international financial system, including the need for international institutions to stop considering investments in the social and infrastructure areas public expenditure. This is a position that Brazil has been defending at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The minutes also ask rich countries to comply with their engagement in financing development, and sponsoring technology transfer and access of poor country products to their markets.
In case the proposal is approved, the nations will also be engaged in acting in an articulated manner in the promotion of the "millennium goals" together with the international community. According to the targets, by the year 2015 the countries that are members of the United Nations (UN) should have cut their levels of poverty to half of the level they were at in 2000.
In this respect, according to the text, the nations will work hard on supporting international mechanisms destined to eradication of hunger and poverty. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been defending the creation of a world fund against hunger and poverty.
Scientific field
In the area of science and technology, the document points out the "urgent need for coordination of programs for cooperation between respected universities and research centres from both regions and the promotion of the exchange specialists, researchers, and university professors."
If the text is approved, the countries will also be engaged in identifying financial mechanisms to help in the creation of a "program for scientific and technological development," dealing in the following areas: the semi arid and desertification, management of water resources, irrigated agriculture, biotechnology and genetic engineering, weather forecasts, fertilization and cattle farming.
These sectors where there may be cooperation were identified during a bi-regional seminar about the semi arid and management of water resources, which took place in the city of Fortaleza, capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará, in 2004, and included the participation of specialists from 14 Arab and South American countries.
Cultural exchange
In the cultural area, the text forecasts, among other things, the selection of Arab and South American works to be translated for the creation of an Arab-South-American library, the promotion of exchange in the audio visual sector, academic cooperation through the creation of scholarships and the organization of conferences, the promotion of joint cultural productions and exchange in the area of sports.
*Translated by Mark Ament
