SA, India, Brazil commission meets
Clive Ndou
15 March 2005
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says the India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Commission could play a major role in stimulating development in poor countries.
Dlamini-Zuma was addressing the media in Cape Town on Friday after the second IBSA meeting with her Indian and Brazilian counterparts, Natwar Singh and Celso Amorim.
The IBSA commission is a forum through which the three countries exchange ideas, with the aim of exploiting each other's strengths to the benefit of the participants and other developing countries.
The first IBSA meeting took place in India in 2004.
Dlamini-Zuma said the forum offered the best vehicle for bringing together "our competitive advantages for the benefit of other developing countries".
She said the three countries had reiterated the importance of obtaining additional financial resources for fighting poverty and financing development. She also announced that the commission had set
up a fund to assist countries affected by war, famine and natural disasters.
Amorim said that since the forum's first meeting, there had been great interest from business people, cultural groups and the entertainment industry.
"While the forum has identified some advantages in tourism, business and technology in the three countries, there were also serious social problems in the respective countries", Amorim said.
"However, we view the forum as an opportunity to learn from each other. We exchange views not only on problems that affect the participants, but on issues of global interest."
Amorim said that 49% of Brazil's trade was in developing countries, and as such he viewed the forum as an opportunity to increase business opportunities in developing countries.
Singh said that given the three countries' collective experience and wisdom, "we can make a huge contribution to global issues".
Source: BuaNews
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