Brazil-US Phone Call: Bush Receptive to Lula’s Summit Proposal

According to the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, demonstrated receptivity to president Lula’s idea to schedule a meeting between heads of State from rich and poor countries to discover a way out of the negotiating deadlock in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Lula spoke with Bush today (7) for about a half hour on the telephone.

Initially, the Brazilian president wanted such a meeting to be held prior to the December 13-18 WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, which is supposed to conclude the Doha Round, the series of negotiations begun in 2001.

Now, the idea is for the meeting between heads of State to take place in January. According to Amorim, both Lula and Bush believe that the European Union needs to make concessions in the area of ending agricultural subsidies and that the negotiations should proceed beyond the Hong Kong meeting.

"Bush shares this opinion that things are really at an impasse and that the European Union must be induced to move forward. This will naturally require some countries to abandon the hard-shell positions they currently defend," Amorim commented.

Lula made the same suggestion last week to the British prime minister, Tony Blair, whose reaction was also favorable. In an attempt to get the Doha Round back on course, Lula has been in touch with the Argentinean government and sent messages to the presidents of China and South Africa, as well as the prime minister of India, according to Amorim.

During their telephone conversation, according to Amorim, Bush commended Lula’s leadership in the fight to end agricultural subsidies.

"The United States made a gesture in terms of domestic support, and we hope that they can do more, but we comprehend that, for that to occur, the European Union must also open up in the area of market access and agricultural commodities, which has not happened up to now."

According to the Minister, Brazil is willing to give up privileges, if the wealthy nations are willing to do the same. "Our flexibility is limited and proportional to what the rich countries can do in the agricultural sphere, specifically in reducing tariffs on agricultural goods."

Lula also told Bush about the results of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), showing a decrease in the country’s social inequalities.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Cuts Interest Rates and Market Comes Tumbling Down

Latin America turned sharply lower across the region, alongside U.S. market weakness. Some analysts ...

Interest Rates Still Too High, Brazil Admits

Brazil’s Minister of Finance, Antônio Palocci, acknowledged that real interest rates are still high ...

Tolerance Is Brazil’s Both Bane and Blessing

Among certain sectors of Brazilian society, there seems to be a tangible sense of ...

Illiteracy Rate in Some Brazilian States Runs from 20 to 30%

A 2004 survey found that Brazil’s illiteracy rate was 11.4%; that is, 11.4% of ...

Brazil Proud to Go from IMF Borrower to IMF Lender

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he wants to be the first ...

Unable to Stop Amazon Hydroelectric Plant in Brazil Courts Activists Appeal to the UN

One hundred organizations, representing 40 communities in 11 municipalities in the state of Pará, ...

US Helps Brazilian Police Arrest 43 from Visa Gang That Sent People to the US

Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) operating in the southeasterb Brazilian states of São Paulo and ...

20 Minutes and Tickets for Brazil’s Carnaval Were Gone

Tickets for Rio’s famous Carnaval parade, the centerpiece of Brazil’s annual pre-Lenten festival, sold ...

Can Santa’s Reindeers Survive Brazil’s Hot Christmas?

Even in the scorching heat of Rio’s summer, Santa makes his appearance to bring ...

Brazil Cuts US$ 30 Bi from Budget, Freezes Hiring and Starts Crackdown on Fraud

Brazil will cut 50 billion reais (US$ 30 billion) from its 2011 budget. The ...