Brasília, 4 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Brazil-Mexico joint declaration, signed yesterday (3) by presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Vicente Fox, affirms that international trade should raise living standards and bring people together. "Thus, it should be open, non-discriminatory and transparent. Protectionism, the abusive use of subsidies and unilateralism threaten international trade and its growth," said the presidents.

The declaration goes on to praise progress made at the recent International Conference on Development in Monterrey, saying those results should be appended to decisions at the Second World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10), scheduled for Johannesburg in August.

"This meeting must be seen as an essential part of an open process in coming up with concrete initiatives which broaden the perspectives for development and guarantee the preservation of natural resources that are necessary for a safer and more trustworthy world." (AB)