David Masango
14 September 2006
The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Forum is "an idea whose time has arrived," SA President Thabo Mbeki said after meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Brasilia, Brazil on Wednesday.
"It is a necessary response to the current state of play in the global economy, and its purpose and objectives are even more relevant in the context of the collapsed Doha development round of talks," Mbeki told reporters at the close of the inaugural IBSA heads of state summit.
Mbeki said that countries of the South, in order to speed up their development, had to form strategic alliances to "unlock the vast resources and economic opportunities within and between their countries and regions."
These common strengths, he said, included business partnerships and cooperation, exchange of expertise and collaboration in industry, and exchange programmes between institutions of higher learning.
"Fortunately, India, Brazil and South Africa share a coincidence of interests insofar as we have common hopes, aspirations and challenges, and through IBSA have created a platform from which we can attend to these many and varied challenges."
Mbeki said IBSA working groups had been active since the forum's inception in 2003 and had sketched an optimistic outlook for increased trade between the three countries, resulting in the signing of a number of agreements, and with more still to be signed.
"But these agreements can only mean something if and when they are implemented," Mbeki said, emphasising the importance of the role of businesses in each country.
The areas of energy, transport and climate change had already been identified as key areas of trilateral cooperation.
However, Mbeki said, as the forum reviewed progress in those areas, it was important also to assess the role of business, academia and other structures of civil society in helping the three countries to develop safe, renewable, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy sources.
"We have to examine whether we are able to work together with all sectors of our societies to ensure that the poor in our countries, both in the rural and urban areas, are able to access affordable energy."
Other areas of potential cooperation include the maritime and aviation sectors, agriculture, information and communication technology, mining and minerals beneficiation, biotechnology and tourism.
The three leaders also discussed the issue of the reform of the United Nations and its organs, particularly the UN Security Council.
Source: BuaNews
