Brasília, 7/3/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations must be well-thought-out with a good dose of realism. Realism with regard to deadlines, and ambitious with regard to market access, says minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, speaking at the XXXVI meeting on FTAA negotiations (Senalca). "Resolving controversial matters is more important than deadlines," said the minister.

Amorim explained that the way negotiations were to be conducted would have made it necessary for interested parties to reach agreements on controversial matters before they were fully clarified.
For example, in February, as per the original FTAA timetable, negotiations were supposed to take place on government procurement, and new investment and services offers. "That did not occur. We have to take another look at the timetables in light of problems with content," he declared.

The minister added: "We are not looking for a light or diet FTAA. We want an agreement that is realistic and ambitious. We want an agreement in accordance with what president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ordered: an agreement that protects our sovereignty, Mercosur and our interests in South America."

Amorim said that president Lula has been very clear about his wish to negotiate without ideological preconceptions, while safeguarding Brazil's freedom of action on the domestic scene. "We want to protect our rights," explained the minister.

Amorim concluded by saying that the United States has recognized Brazil's position publicly, pointing out that during a May visit to Brazil the US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick, spoke of a "pragmatic focus, because an FTAA without Brazil did not make sense." (AB)