JEDDAH, 21 February 2005 — Brazil is experiencing a new awakening toward the Arab world. “This is inspired by strong links forged by history and culture,” Brazil’s External Relations Minister Celso Amorim told the Jeddah Economic Forum on the second day of its annual three-day session at the Hilton yesterday. He spoke on “Foreign policy revolution: The Brazilian perspective.”
“Not all of you may be aware of the fact that more than 10 million Brazilians trace their ancestry to the Middle East. We’ve the largest community of people of Arab descent outside the Arab world. In Brazil, Christians, Muslims and Jews live together in harmony. They make and continue to make a decisive contribution to the development of our society,” he said.
In addition to initiatives at the bilateral level, Brazil has been seeking to strengthen ties with regional entities, such as the League of Arab States of which it became the first observer country from South America in 2003.
Referring to Brazilian President Lula’s proposal to hold an unprecedented summit of countries from South America and Arab states, Amorim said the response by Arab leaders had been “prompt and positive.” The summit, which is scheduled in Brasilia in May, is probably the first encounter between heads of state of two major regions of the developing world, with the possible exception of the Asian-African conferences that gave birth to the Non-Aligned Movement in the 1950s.
“We’re convinced that this summit will pave the way for concrete projects to the benefit of the people of both regions. Moreover, it will set the stage for the establishment of an enhanced political dialogue, capable of opening new horizons for furthering common causes, such as the fight against poverty and hunger and the promotion of development with social justice,” he said.
Amorim cautioned that the world was grappling with “new and real security threats.” In the weeks and months preceding the military intervention in Iraq, Brazil did its utmost to contribute to a peaceful solution to the issue. President Lula made personal representations, in contact with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other world leaders. Among the numerous victims of the conflict was UN High Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello, a Brazilian, who honored the international community with his example of wholehearted devotion to the cause of peace, with an unflinching sensitivity toward the poor and the destitute who are usually hardly hit in situations of conflicts.
“Right now, another Brazilian citizen is missing, possibly abducted. I take this opportunity to make a solemn appeal, on behalf of the Brazilian people, who have always sided with peace and cooperation with our Arab brothers, for his prompt return to his family.”
Brazil, he said, recognizes the real risk for humanity of an escalation of international terrorism and of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “At the same time, we’ll not refrain from reminding the international community of the importance of dismantling the existing arsenals of all those deadly weapons,” he added.
This year, Brazil will preside over the Seventh Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “We sincerely hope that the conference will not only address the very important aspects related to the risk of nuclear proliferation, but will also be able to assess the reasons for the absence of progress in the steps that should have been taken by the nuclear-weapon states toward nuclear disarmament.”
The multilateral system for trade, collective security and international cooperation remains essential. “But the best possible mechanisms will by themselves, not create a safer and better world. It’s only through real engagement in the fight against hunger and poverty that we’ll succeed. It’s our firm belief that, through diplomacy and dialogue, we can start to cooperate more effectively, across regions and cultures, to build a prosperous world with a human face,” Amorim said.