The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, announced that the next meeting of the Summit of South American and Arab Countries will take place in Morocco in 2008.
The minister made the announcement after participating in the meeting where the agreement between the Mercosur (customs union of the South, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the Gulf countries was signed, at the Blue Tree Hotel, in Brasilia.
“I consider to be a victory all work for cooperation, development and continuity of the summit,” said Amorim.
Located in North Africa, Morocco owns two thirds of the phosphate reserves in the planet and is the greatest exporter of this product supplying 31% of the world’s market needs. The main industries in the country are of mineral products, foods and textiles.
With a population of 31.1 million inhabitants and a GDP of US$ 52.4 billion, the Moroccan per capita income is of US$ 1,684. Morocco is an important market for Brazilian products.
In 2004, global trade between Brazil and Morocco added up to US$ 589.9 million, and reached US$ 229.9 million in the first third of this year.
From January to April Brazilian exports to Morocco added up to US$ 142.9 million, an increase in 17% in relation to the same period last year. Brazilian imports of Moroccan products reached US$ 79.9 million, an increase in 47% in relation to the same period last year.
The main Brazilian products exported by Brazil up till April were sugar (47%), iron and steel (20%). Brazilian businessmen also export soy, wood, agriculture machinery, vehicles and bus and truck chassis.
Anba