Dilma thanks Egypt for its support of Brazil at the WTO.
It was during a meeting with the President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, in Brasília; in the meeting, Morsi argued that the solution to end the crisis in Syria, which has lasted for more than two years, should be led by regional leaders – in this case, the Arab League – with the support of the international community and the integration of the country's society.
Danilo Macedo
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia - President Dilma Rousseff thanked Egyptian President Mouhamed Morsi for his support of Brazilian candidate Roberto Azevêdo for the director-general position at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and defended South-South cooperation as strategic for establishing multipolarity in the world.
Dilma received Mursi at the Planalto Palace, where technical cooperation agreements and memoranda on social and agrarian development were signed, in addition to partnerships related to environmental actions and the exchange of experiences between the national libraries of Brazil and Alexandria, recognized for its work in digitizing important collections.
"I want to reiterate my gratitude for Egypt's support, which we greatly value, for the Brazilian candidate Roberto Azevêdo for the position of Director-General of the WTO. President Morsi and I agree that South-South cooperation between our countries is strategic for establishing multipolarity in the world," the president said in a statement to the press at the end of the meeting at the Planalto Palace.
The WTO confirmed today (8) that the new director-general of the organization will be the Brazilian ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo, 55 years old. He defeated the Mexican Herminio Blanco, 62 years old, in yesterday's election (7). Azevêdo will assume the position on August 31, replacing the Frenchman Pascal Lamy, and will serve a four-year term. He is the first Brazilian and Latin American to lead the organization.
Síria
At the meeting, Mursi said that the solution to end the crisis in Syria, which has lasted for more than two years, must be led by regional leaders – in this case, the Arab League – with the support of the international community and the integration of the country's society. Mursi also considered it fundamental to recognize the sovereignty and independence of the State of Palestine. "We support the independent and autonomous State of Palestine. I would like to thank President Dilma [Rousseff] for her positions on the matter," said Mursi, referring to Brazilian support for the State of Palestine.
Next, the Egyptian, in a statement to the press, spoke for about ten minutes mainly about the crisis in Syria, in which more than 70 people have died and there are allegations of human rights violations and the use of chemical weapons. According to Mursi, without an agreement to achieve peace in Syria, stability among Muslim countries is under threat.
"We in Egypt believe that the solution lies with a regional group with international support, especially from those with permanent seats on the Security Council [United States, France, United Kingdom, Russia and China]," said Mursi. "As long as there is no solution for Syria, stability in the region will not be achieved."
In her statement to the press, Dilma also mentioned the crisis in Syria. The president advocated for dialogue and an immediate ceasefire. "Dialogue is the best method to establish lasting peace. We advocate for a ceasefire to establish a peace process with the support of the international community," she said.
Edited by: Beto Coura