Brasília, November 14, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - After the progress made by the Brazilian government in recent negotiations with the United States over the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Brazil will attend the FTAA ministerial meeting, scheduled for next week in Miami, optimistic about the establishment of an agreement beneficial to the country and the Mercosur, as well.
The Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, is especially confident in light of the flexibility demonstrated last week by the American government, which gave signs of accepting the idea that countries in the FTAA can assume different obligations within the free trade area. "I was encouraged by the conversations, because our element of flexibility was understood. The FTAA can be wide-reaching, so long as it is balanced on more than one side," Amorim emphasized.
At a meeting Thursday (13) in the Planalto Palace, the Minister apprised President Lula and eight other Cabinet members of the Brazilian government's achievements at his meeting in Washington with the US Special Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick. According to Amorim, President Lula's orientation is to reaffirm the negotiating positions the government has been upholding since the beginning of the year. The Mercosur, according to the Minister, continues to be a priority for the Brazilian government and President Lula. "We want to negotiate in a constructive spirit, seeking to broaden trade and preserve the capacity of Brazil and the Mercosur to trace their own policies," he said.
From here on, according to Amorim, the negotiations indicate a path where each country can assume its commitments to the FTAA in a differentiated manner. The idea is that, besides the broad proposals for the creation of the free trade area, multilateral agreements can arise taking into account the differences among the 34 countries that will make up the area. "We want an FTAA structure that neither imposes nor impedes. We shall have common objectives for free trade in goods and services, but in the normative part, for example, we have different visions," he explained. In the areas of negotiations common to various countries, such as the question of agricultural subsidies, the Minister made it clear that the negotiations suggest that general norms applicable to all will be pursued.
Last week, the Chancellor accepted leaving it up to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to decide on the major obstacle to Brazilian entry into the FTAA, subsidies for agricultural products. At the same time, the US Trade Representative also yielded, signalling that the WTO will be allowed to decide on rules for investments and intellectual property.
EUROPEAN UNION
Amorim used the meeting with Lula to present a brief balance sheet, alongside the Minister of Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan, of Brazilian negotiations with the European Union. The two Ministers returned on Wednesday (12) from Brussels, where representatives of the Mercosur and the European Union set a new timetable of activities so that trade negotiations between the South American and European blocs can be concluded in a year. Amorim is optimistic about relations between the Mercosur and the European countries. He even confessed that it is easier to negotiate with the European Union than with the member countries of the FTAA. "The difference with the European Union is that we, the Mercosur, negotiate directly. They regard the negotiation as 1 plus 1: the Mercosur and the European Union. They take an interest in our integration, even though there are limitations, such as issue of agricultural subsidies," he pointed out.
Brazil will be represented at the FTAA ministerial meeting by Minister Amorim himself and by the Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues. With all his optimism, the Chancellor admitted that Brazil will still have a long road ahead for the FTAA to become a reality by 2005. "The negotiation is complex. We are still discussing the structure of the FTAA, but this is important, because it is what will allow the necessary flexibilities," he summed up. (DAS)
