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Our
foreign policy shall also reflect the desire for
change manifested at the ballot box. Under my
Government, Brazil’s diplomatic efforts will be
guided by a humanistic perspective directed, above
all else, at providing instruments for the Nation’s
development. Through our foreign trade, through the
obtaining of advanced technologies and through the
quest for productive investment, Brazil’s foreign
relations will aim at improving the living
conditions of Brazilian men and women, at increasing
income levels and generating dignified jobs. Trade
negotiations are today of vital importance. With
respect to the FTAA, through understandings with
Mercosur, the European Union and the World Trade
Organization, Brazil will combat protectionism,
struggle to eliminate trade barriers and attempt to
obtain fairer and more appropriate conditions for
fostering the Nation’s development. We shall seek to
eliminate the outrageous agricultural subsidies
practiced in the developed countries, that harm our
farmers by denying them their comparative
advantages. With the same ardour, we shall take
pains to remover unjustifiable barriers to our
exports of industrial goods. In all of these forums,
it is essential that we maintain spaces and
flexibility for our own development policies in the
areas of social and regional development, the
environment, agriculture, industry and technology.
We shall never overlook the fact that human beings
are the final objective of the results of such
negotiations. It would be of little use for us to
participate in such diversified efforts on so many
fronts if they do not result in direct benefits for
our people. We shall be watching these negotiations
closely, since nowadays they extend far beyond mere
tariff reductions and encompass a broad spectrum of
normative issues. We shall ensure that they do not
create unwarranted restrictions to the sovereign
right of the Brazilian people to decide upon the
model of development they desire.
The greatest priority of our foreign
policy during my Government will be the building of
a politically-stable, prosperous and united South
America, founded upon ideals of democracy and social
justice. To this end, decisive action is required to
revitalize Mercosur that has been so weakened by the
crises afflicting each of its member states, and by
narrow and sometimes self-serving standpoints in
relation to integration. Mercosur, and likewise
South-American integration as a whole, is primarily
a political project. Nonetheless, this project rests
upon economic and commercial foundations that need
urgently to be repaired and strengthened. We shall
also deal with the social, cultural and
scientific-technological aspects of the integration
process. We shall stimulate joint ventures and
organize rich intellectual and artistic exchanges
among the countries of South America. We shall
provide support for the necessary institutional
arrangements designed to enable a veritable Mercosur
and South-American identity to flourish. Currently,
several of our neighbours are facing difficult
circumstances. We shall contribute, when called upon
and within the scope of our possibilities, to
finding peaceful solutions to crises, based upon
dialogue, in line with democratic principles and
respecting the constitutional provisions of each
country. Likewise, we shall maintain concrete
cooperation efforts and substantive dialogue with
all countries of Latin America.
We shall seek to maintain with the
United States of America a mature partnership, based
upon reciprocal interests and mutual respect. We
shall seek to strengthen understandings and
cooperation with the European Union and its Member
States, as well as with other important
industrialized countries such as Japan. We shall
deepen our relations with such large developing
countries as China, India, Russia and South Africa,
among others. We reaffirm the deep ties that unite
us to the African continent and our willingness
actively to contribute so that its vast
potentialities can be developed. We aim not only to
explore the potential benefits of greater economic
exchanges, and of a greater Brazilian presence in
the international market, but also to stimulate
incipient elements of multi-polarity in the
contemporary international scenario.
The democratization of international
relations, without hegemonies of any kind
whatsoever, is as important for the future of
Mankind as the consolidation and development of
democracy within each State. We shall exalt the
value of multilateral organizations, and especially
of the United Nations, which has the prime mandate
for preserving international peace and security.
Resolutions of the Security Council must be duly
enforced. International crises, such as the
situation in the Middle East, should be resolved by
peaceful means and negotiation. We support a reform
of the Security Council, to make it more
representative of contemporary realities, with
developed and developing countries from the various
regions of the world among its permanent members.
We face challenges at the present time,
such as terrorism and organized crime, that can only
be resolved through international cooperation based
upon the principles of multilateralism and of
International Law. We shall lend support to efforts
targeted at making the UN and its agencies flexible
and effective instruments for promoting social and
economic development, including combating poverty,
inequalities and all forms of discrimination;
defending of human rights and preservation of the
environment.
Indeed: we have a message for the world.
We must display our national project,
democratically, through an open dialogue, before
other nations of the planet. Because we are new; we
are the innovation that a civilization has
fearlessly drafted; drafted on the body, soul and
heart of a people, often without acquiescence of the
elites, of institutions, or even of the State.
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MIDDLE EAST
The
rich heritage of the Arab-Islamic
civilization was present at Brazil’s birth,
given its powerful influence on the Iberian
Peninsula from where the Portuguese
colonizers heralded.
Later, thousands of Arab immigrants landed
on Brazilian soil in the pursuit of a new
life.
The more than 10 million Brazilians today
living in my country that descend from these
immigrants retain ties with their mother
civilization. These men and women made a
decisive contribution to the moulding of the
Brazilian identity, as well as to the
economic and social development of our
country and to the wealth of our culture.
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We need to increase
our high level political contacts. Now I have come
personally to transmit our genuine interest in
forging a stronger relationship with the Arab
countries.
We are convinced of the great potential
for expanding trade, investment and cooperation in
many fields.
There are promising
opportunities which deserve to be explored. We must
translate into concrete achievements the economic
complementarities that exist between this region and
Mercosul - which is formed by Brazil, Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay.
There are also
favourable opportunities for trade between countries
in the Arab world and South America as a whole.
There is room for meaningful increase in our trade,
tourism, cultural exchange and investment.
We also wish to
establish scientific-technological and cultural
cooperation mechanisms. The strong cultural links
among us can bring us even closer together.
We share common values and objectives. We hope that
the Middle East will find the path to lasting peace
and prosperity.
We want stronger
multilateral institutions, in particular the United
Nations. The United Nations should play a central
role in the reorganization and reconstruction of
Iraq in particular, but also with regard to the
Palestinian issue.
Brazil has endorsed all
the initiatives for achieving peace with justice in
the Middle East that have been presented to the
Security Council, the General Assembly and other
multilateral venues. |
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We support the Road
Map for Peace and the Arab Initiative.
I affirm our
willingness to do our utmost in order to contribute
to a just peace between Israel and Palestine, and
pave the way for a fully sovereign Palestinian
State. Let me assure you that in 2004, when it again
takes up a seat in the Security Council, Brazil will
continue to support these causes with renewed vigour,
just as we contributed, within our possibilities,
for the search for a peaceful and diplomatic
solution to the Iraqi crisis. The right of a people
to exercise sovereignty over its territory is
inalienable.
This is the principle
that has guided us on the issue of the occupied Arab
territories.
For this reason, Brazil
voted in favour of the United Nations resolution
requiring that the Golan Heights be returned to
Syria.
Let us not forget that
Brazil and the Arab nations underwent – in distinct
historical moments - colonial domination and that we
all struggled for our independence.
We attach special value
to the principles of sovereignty and
self-determination of peoples. They are the pillars
of peace, justice and progress.
I believe there are
great opportunities for an exchange of experience
and cooperation between Brazil and the Arab
countries on social issues.
Brazil together with
Mercosul and the Arab world enjoy large consumer
markets, with a population, respectively, of 210
million and 200 million inhabitants. Political will
is required to foster and deepen our relationship,
our dialogue. Brazil’s admission as an observer to
the Arab League – for which we are proud – is a sign
that we are moving in the right direction. It
represents a significant step in ensuring that
Brazil is fully aware of the stand taken by the Arab
world on the most important issues on the
international agenda.
I am confident that the
Summit between leaders of South America and the Arab
countries, to be hosted by Brazil in 2005, will be a
watershed in the strengthening of the bonds linking
the Arab world and the nations of South America. |
