Developing countries should come to a common conclusion regarding the UN reform so as to present it at the next general assembly of the organization, to take place in September, in New York.
The theme was discussed yesterday during a meeting of diplomats, which took place at the Sheraton hotel, in Doha, Qatar, during the first day of the meeting of representatives of the G-77 and of China. They are participating in the Second South Summit.
In the center of discussions, to continue today, in the meeting of foreign ministers of the 132 nations that make up the G-77, are the changes in the UN Security Council.
The executive secretary of the group, the Algerian Mourad Ahmala, said yesterday that “it is important for countries to take advantage of the meeting to reach a common position.”
He said that discussions for reform of the United Nations at a general assembly will be historical. The position should be included in the political declaration and in the action plan to be made during the summit.
Apart from the meetings between diplomats and ministers, in the last two days of the meeting – 15th and 16th – there will be a meeting between heads of state.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not be participating, being represented by Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.
Brazil is one of the largest defenders of the reform of the UN Security Council. The country defends an increase from the current 15 members, five permanent and 10 non-permanent, to 24 members, of which 10 permanent and 14 non-permanent.
Brazil, together with Germany, Japan and India, the group that makes up the G-4, is after a permanent seat in the Council.
Currently, the fixed members are France, England, the United States, Russia and China.
In the text discussed yesterday by the diplomats there is already a reference to the need for modification in the UN so that it may be more transparent and have greater legitimacy.
Despite not being the only topic discussed in the closed meeting between the diplomatic delegations, the topic was one of those most discussed in the corridors, also by the press.
Qatar, which is hosting the meeting, is after a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council after 2009. Non-permanent seats are rotating.
From Lula
According to information supplied by the Itamaraty, the Brazilian Foreign Office, it has already been confirmed that the summit action plan will include president Lula’s suggestion of creating an “innovative” financial mechanisms to fight hunger in developing nations.
The theme was released by Lula in September last year, during the UN general assembly, and was supported by the leaders of various countries, among them the Chilean Ricardo Lagos and the French Jacques Chirac.
One of the bases of the action plan being formulated is the declaration of members of the G-77 in Havana, in 2000, when the heads of state of the group met for the first time.
The text mentioned the need for an increase in cooperation between the so-called countries of the South, which are developing nations.
The G-77 was established in 1964 and despite currently being made up of a greater number of countries – 132 -, the original name was kept.
Among the members of the group are Arab countries like Algeria, the Comoros, Djibouti, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, Palestine, Oman and Somalia.
From Latin America, the nations are Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Venezuela and Peru.
The Meeting
The G-77 organization expects the presence of 5,000 people in Doha up to Thursday, June 16,. This total includes from official delegation members to journalists and security personnel. The hotels in the city are full of foreigners, who started arriving in the city on Saturday, June 11.
Qatar has a small population, around 800,000 inhabitants. One of the main economic activities in the country is exploration of petroleum and gas. The country has one of the largest per capita incomes in the world, US$ 32,000.
ANBA – Brazil-Arab News Agency – www.anba.com.br