Guyana, Brazil Back Coordinated Positions on Trade Negotiations

07 August, 2003

Guyana, Brazil back coordinated positions on trade negotiations
Brazilian team coming to examine new areas of cooperation 
The Presidents of Guyana and Brazil have stressed the importance of 
coordinating positions on trade negotiations and strengthening security 
cooperation on the frontier. 

President Bharrat Jagdeo and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 
have also highlighted the importance of a visit here by a team from the 
Brazilian Cooperation Agency before year-end to examine new areas of 
cooperation.

These issues were addressed in the joint communique issued by the Guyanese 
and Brazilian authorities following Jagdeo’s visit to Brazil last week.

The Presidents underlined the importance of the coordination of the positions 
of South American countries in hemispheric and international trade 
negotiations. They further noted that for such negotiations to obtain 
balanced and equitable results, the difference in levels of economic 
development of the countries of the hemisphere, their national development 
strategies and their enormous social needs, should be taken into account.

In this regard they emphasised the need for the identification of appropriate 
funding mechanisms which would facilitate effective hemispheric trade 
integration.

Guyana and Brazil have been at odds over the latter’s challenge at the World 
Trade Organisation to the European Union’s (EU) sugar regime. Guyana depends 
heavily on the preferential prices available in the EU market and Guyana and 
other African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar-producing countries have been 
trying to convince Brazil and its co-challengers Thailand and Australia to 
drop their complaint. 
The communiqué said that the Presidents also took cognisance of the need for 
strengthened cooperation to promote security on the frontier. They emphasised 
the importance of convening meetings through the bilateral mechanisms set up 
in relation to drugs, police cooperation and customs matters. 

Guyana and Brazil have also agreed to an early visit to Brazil by the 
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Gail Teixeira, within the ambit of the 
bilateral cultural agreement. 

During Jagdeo’s visit, Guyana and Brazil also signed a complementary 
agreement to the basic agreement of technical cooperation for the 
implementation of the project `Data Base Management of Dairy Cattle 
Production and Disease Surveillance in Guyana.’

The communique noted further that in discussions on the battle against 
poverty, the government of Brazil proposed the creation of a bi-national 
health commission.

In relation to the transfer of technology and ethanol production, the 
communique said that Brazil will examine the possibility of offering 
technical assistance to establish a system of ethanol production in Guyana.

The two leaders also noted the urgent need to foster linkages between their 
respective business sectors through the promotion of seminars and 
participation in trade fairs. They emphasised the importance of completing 
early the bilateral programme under the agreement signed between the 
Institute of Small Enterprise Development (IPED) and the Support Service to 
Small and Micro Businesses of the State of Roramia (SEBRAE-RR). 

Jagdeo also expressed appreciation for Brazil’s offer of technical 
cooperation in the area of trade promotion between the Ministry of External 
Relations of Brazil and Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Trade. This includes 
training for setting up a mechanism similar to BrazilTrade Net and other 
instruments related to trade intelligence. 
According to the communique, both Presidents reaffirmed their support of the 
Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation and reiterated their governments’ 
willingness to give impetus to the harmonisation of policies in relation to 
issues on the environment including those which refer to the protection of 
genetic resources and bio-diversity for the benefit of the peoples of the 
Amazon.

Agreeing to accelerate the implementation of projects which contribute to the 
linkage of the two countries in the areas of transport, energy and 
communications, the two leaders highlighted the timeliness of the seminar 
sponsored by the National Bank of Social and Economic Development (BNDES) and 
the Andean Corporation Fund (CAF) being held in Rio De Janeiro from yesterday 
until tomorrow. The seminar is aimed at discussing proposals for the 
financing of infrastructure projects in South America.

In the area of consular and juridical cooperation, they noted the level of 
understanding reached in the negotiation of an extradition treaty between the 
two countries. 

Jagdeo, according to the communiqué, also expressed Guyana’s support for 
Brazil’s permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. In 
relation to the UN, the two presidents agreed on the need to reform and 
revitalise the UN system, especially the Security Council and to make it more 
responsive to the changed international situation. 

Jagdeo’s visit to Brazil, the communique said, was part of a series of 
ongoing encounters da Silva is having with his South American partners and 
emphasises Guyana’s full participation in South America without prejudice to 
its Caribbean linkage.


SOURCE: Stabroek News