Bras\u00edlia \u2013 The Brazilian president, Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, stated today (22nd) during luncheon with the Lebanese president, Michel Sleiman, at the Brazilian foreign office (Itamaraty), in the Brazilian capital Bras\u00edlia, that \u201cBrazil wants to see Lebanon regain its position as a privileged gateway to investment and trade in the Arab world.\u201d \u201cWe want to consolidate the role of Beirut as a launch pad for Brazilian business,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n
In that respect, as informed by the Brazilian minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorge, the Brazil-Lebanon Business Council will be established to tap into business opportunities. One of the objectives is to seek a more even trade balance, as it is currently strongly biased in favour of Brazil.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the beginning of my term in office, our trade has tripled, and reached US$ 300 million,\u201d claimed Lula. \u201cNow, we are faced with the challenge of balancing it. Part of the solution lies in diversifying the Lebanese export basket,\u201d he added. \u201cThe balance is heavily tipped in favour of Brazil, we need to buy more,\u201d said the president later on, during a press conference.<\/p>\n
Miguel Jorge went to Beirut last week, heading a trade mission, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lebanese government on trade and investment which, according to Lula, \u201cis going to multiply the results that we are already achieving.\u201d Jorge mentioned olive oil and dried fruit as examples of products that the Lebanese may sell more of to Brazil.<\/p>\n
Sleiman, in turn, asserted that trade relations between Lebanon and Brazil are \u201cadvanced\u201d and \u201cstrengthened by the agreements that have been signed over the last few years.\u201d Today, cooperation agreements in the fields of sports and social policies have been signed. He declared, however, that despite the progress made, trade relations \u201cdo not even come close to political and human ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Brazilian president also highlighted the role of his Lebanese counterpart in seeking solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East. \u201cHis leadership is inspired by the story of our late fellow countryman Rafik Hariri, who sacrificed his life for the cause that was closer to his heart: making Lebanon into an example of tolerance and prosperity for all of the Middle East,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lula stated that the visit paid by Sleiman to Damascus, in Syria, is part of that quest. Relations between Syria and Lebanon are delicate. \u201cThis is the agenda of peace and reconciliation that our countries are going to take to the Security Council,\u201d stated the Brazilian president, alluding to the fact that Brazil and Lebanon are presently temporary members of the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n
According to Lula, \u201cthere will be no reconciliation in the region until Lebanon coexists in harmony with its neighbours, nor there will be solace to the suffering of the Lebanese people while the Arab-Israeli conflict, the issue of Palestinian refugees, and doubts regarding the Iranian nuclear program persist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am convinced that peace is within our reach. It is with this trust in dialogue that I will head to Tehran in May,\u201d said Lula. The Brazilian government wants to have a stronger input in negotiations regarding conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Sleiman added that the two countries should work together at the Security council to promote the understanding and negotiated solutions to international conflicts.<\/p>\n
He declared that his country still needs support from Brazil and the international community in order to address persisting challenges, such as fear of new Israeli attacks, the retrieval of Lebanese territories that remain occupied by Israel, and terrorism.<\/p>\n
Sleiman stated that the UN should play a \u201cmore effective\u201d role in the negotiation of conflicts, called for changes in the Security Council, so that it may have greater weight, and praised the struggle of Brazil for a permanent seat at the organization.<\/p>\n
The president of the Arab country also said that the Lebanese who migrated to Brazil and their descendents \u201cstrengthen and complement\u201d the connection between the two countries, and create perspectives of future partnerships in different sectors. Lebanese immigration to Brazil is celebrating its 130th anniversary, and Lula called attention to the fact that the descendents stand out in Brazil as politicians, doctors, architects, engineers, artists, and scientists. Miguel Jorge quipped that the future Brazil-Lebanon business Council is going to be comprised of Lebanese members on both sides, given the size of the Lebanese community living in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Several representatives of the community of Arab origin attended luncheon, including Jorge himself and the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/b>, Salim Taufic Schahin. Sleiman\u2019s visit continues tomorrow in the city of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The statement was made by president Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva during luncheon in Bras\u00edlia with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Sleiman. To him, the country must increase product imports from Lebanon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1454,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-foreign-affairs"},"wps_subtitle":"The statement was made by president Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva during luncheon in Bras\u00edlia with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Sleiman. To him, the country must increase product imports from Lebanon.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}