Lula backs Arab peace plan

Lula backs Arab peace plan Ghazanfar Ali Khan | Arab News

Brazilian President Luiz Inلcio Lula da Silva, accompanied by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, inspects a guard of honor at the king's palace in Riyadh on Saturday. (SPA)   RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held wide-ranging talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Riyadh yesterday. During the talks, Lula strongly backed the Arab peace initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The talks also focused on a joint response to the global financial crisis, the need to support negotiations of the Gulf Cooperation Council-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, and Brazil's desire to gain a permanent seat on a revamped UN Security Council. King Abdullah and Lula, the first Brazilian president to visit the Kingdom, witnessed the signing of five major agreements during a royal banquet hosted by the king late last night. They include a general framework cooperation agreement for economy, science and technology; an accord to boost education cooperation; a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for holding political consultations; a cultural agreement; and an MOU for cooperation between diplomatic institutes of the two countries. "My trip to Saudi Arabia was aimed to explore and enhance the many-faceted ties and opportunities for cooperation ... much remains to be done if we are to fully realize the potential of the two thriving economies that are making their mark on the global scene," said President Lula speaking on the occasion. In a statement released earlier yesterday, Lula appreciated the "tireless efforts" of King Abdullah to implement the Arab peace initiative, saying Brazil would like to join these endeavors to bring peace in the Middle East. "Brazil shares with Saudi Arabia the conviction that deeper South-South relations are critical to ensuring that our countries will continue on the path to sustainable development," said Lula, who is on the first leg of a three-nation tour that will also take him to China and Turkey. Lula is accompanied by Minister of External Relations Celso Amorim, Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Jiguel Jorge, Minister of Press and Media Franklin Martins and other high-ranking officials. The delegation also includes some 50 top Brazilian businessmen, who are interacting with their Saudi counterparts with several proposals to build relations with Saudi Arabia. Rodrigo Santos, a spokesman for the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, said the summit-level meeting touched a range of regional and international issues of mutual concerns with special reference to bilateral ties. Santos, who heads Brazilian Foreign Ministry's business division, said his country has shown interest to set up joint ventures in agriculture. Brazil also looks forward to partnering with Riyadh to help bring about the necessary reforms of international institutions, including the UN Security Council, said a diplomat. He said President Lula, during his two-day stay in Riyadh, would hold talks on proposals to invest in farming in Brazil. Brazil's state oil company Petrobras will sign a cooperation agreement with Saudi mining firm Modern Chemicals today. Lula will also witness the signing of cooperation agreements between the Council of Saudi Chambers and the Brazilian Federation of Industries and Chambers of Commerce today. A Brazilian firm is also likely to sign a joint venture agreement for the production of insulin. Today Amr Dabbagh, governor of SAGIA, will host a breakfast in honor of the visiting president. Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, RCCI president, will host a luncheon in honor of President Lula.