Arab-South America summit demands Israeli pullout from occupied territories
AFP
Date: 05-11-05
BRASILIA (AFP) - The first South American-Arab summit ended with a controversial call for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories while giving support for a Palestinian state.
The 22 Arab League members and 12 South America nations called on Israel "to pull out of all occupied Arab territories (and return) to 1967 lines." They also urged the dismantling of Israeli settlements, including East Jerusalem.
The final final communique also stressed "the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation," in a veiled reference to the Palestinian cause that had concerned Israel and the United States.
The declaration also criticized US sanctions against Syria while condemning "terrorist" attacks in Iraq.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of host nation Brazil expressed interest in helping the Middle East peace process, saying much work remained to be done.
Though the leaders supported Iraq's new government and condemned "terrorist operations targeting civilians, infrastructure and the democratic process," they also underscored the "importance of respecting the unity, sovereignty and independence of Iraq and not interfering in its domestic affairs."
The meeting also gave support for Uruguay's Carlos Perez del Castillo to become the next head of the World Trade Organization.
Lula said the leaders had unanimously decided to support a candidate for the WTO leadership from "a developing country".
He did not name a candidate, but Perez del Castillo is the only rival in the running against Pascal Lamy, the former European Union trade commissioner from France.
Israeli diplomatic sources in Brasilia said they were not surprised by the Arab leaders' use of the gathering to speak out on the Middle East.
"There is no international gathering in which Arabs participate where they do not take advantage to promote their demands," an Israeli source said.
In return, South American nations, which have greater economic motivations, secured references in the statement encouraging the development of trade and investment.
Much of the final day was devoted to bilateral meetings. Venezuela's left-wing president, Hugo Chavez, held talks with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, current head of the Arab League. Brazil's president met with leaders from Bahrain, Djibouti, Peru and other nations.
Lula ordered his industry minister, Luiz Fernando Furlan, to organize a demonstration of two hybrid cars -- using petrol and ethanol made from sugar cane -- for the Algerian leader.
"Lula explained the system yesterday to Mr Bouteflika, but he had doubts about whether it would work," said the minister. "We are going to put the ethanol in right before his eyes -- it will be the Doubting Thomas's test -- so that he can see it is really alcohol."
Trade figured prominently on the summit's agenda.
Furlan said he expected Brazil alone to nearly double its trade with Arab League nations in the next three years, from eight billion dollars to 15 billion dollars.
The final statement also urged Britain and Argentina to renew negotiations so that a fair and peaceful settlement can be reached on the disputed Falkland islands. The two countries fought a short war over the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas, in 1982.
Though only five heads of state from the 22 Arab League nations turned up at the summit, Argentine sources said a meeting of foreign ministers from the two regions would be held in Argentina in 2007, with a full summit in Morocco in 2008.
Source
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