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POLITICS:
Arab-Latam Bid for a Diverse World
By Lucia Newman*AJ/IPS
DOHA (IPS) - The Moors invaded and
conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula in
711AD. By the time they were driven out of
Granada in 1492, the Arabs had left an
indelible racial and cultural imprint. Both
the Spanish and Portuguese languages have a
marked Arabic influence.
Yet, when the Spanish and Portuguese crossed
the Atlantic to conquer America, the close
connection with the Arab world was somehow
lost as the new colonies fought to establish
their own identities.
More than five centuries later, the arrival
of South American heads of state on Mar. 31
in Doha, Qatar to attend a presidential
summit with Arab leaders is a conscious
effort on each side to rediscover the other
and forge a relationship that is seen as
long overdue.
For Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president
of Brazil, it is a priority.
"It is imperative for the countries of South
America to establish a real understanding
with the nations of the Middle East, with
the Arab world, so that we can establish not
just a commercial relationship, but a
political and cultural relationship, so that
we can be free of the ties and decisions of
the so called rich countries," he said in an
exclusive interview with Al Jazeera.
Common Ties
The effort to find common ground with the
Arab region reflects Latin America's
changing priorities.
In the last eight years, the political map
has changed radically, with every major
South American country, except Peru and
Colombia, now being led by a left or
centre-left government. From Venezuela's
fiercely anti-American president, Hugo
Chavez, to Chile's and Brazil's more
moderate leaders, all are staunch proponents
of a multi-polar world, not dominated by a
super power nor a bloc of industrialised
nations.
"Ten years ago it would have been impossible
to think of a meeting like this between the
Arabs and Latin America or South America,"
Chavez said.
"It is now that the left-wing movements have
managed to obtain political power and lead
governments in Latin America, that this
possibility has opened, because before our
governments would always kneel before the
U.S. state department," he said.
Limited Links
While they are on opposite sides of the
globe and have very different cultures and
political structures, the two regions share
a common colonial experience.
Given the changing global political and
economic map, South America and the Arab
region are attempting to join forces, so
their voices carry more weight, especially
in multi-lateral forums such as the G20
group of leading industrialised nations.
South America's powerhouse, Brazil, is
counting on Arab support to help push its
candidacy for a permanent seat on the U.N.
Security Council, which, if successful,
would give the Arab region an ally in a
strategic arena.
The South American-Arab Leaders' Summit was
the brainchild of the Brazilian president,
who hosted the first such meeting in 2005 in
Brasilia. At the time it was little more
than a declaration of good intentions to
strengthen ties, yet it was as significant
first step.
"Our relations with [the Arab world] were
very limited, very small... we had a trade
balance of 8 billion dollars with the Arab
world, and after that meeting, after that
initiative of our government, our trade
balance has climbed to 20 billion dollars,"
Lula said.
Something similar has happened in Argentina
where, in just three years, exports to the
Arab region have jumped from 1.8 billion to
4.5 billion dollars, according to Sattam Al
Kaddour, the secretary-general of the
Argentine-Arab Chamber of Commerce.
Arabian Origins
It should not be so surprising.
There are up to 20 million Arabs and
descendants of Arabs living in the region,
most of them in South America.
In Brazil alone, there are an estimated 10
million. About 8 million of them are
Lebanese - more than in Lebanon itself.
Argentina has an estimated 3.5 million
people of Syrian and Lebanese origin. Carlos
Menem, Argentina's former president, is the
son of Syrian immigrants.
Neighbouring Chile has the largest community
of people of Palestinian origin outside of
the Middle East, the vast majority Christian
Palestinians who migrated from Beit Jala and
Bethlehem.
The first exodus occurred in the mid-19th
century, when Palestine was ruled by the
Ottomans.
After the foundation of Israel in 1948, when
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians lost
their homes, many Christian Arabs followed
their ancestors to the Americas.
The majority went to Chile, where the
mountains and Mediterranean climate of
Santiago's central valley seemed familiar.
Today, many Chilean Palestinians are
prominent members of the business and
political community. Nevertheless, despite
the large number of South Americans of Arab
origin, the direct contact between the two
regions has been limited. It was not until
last year that the first direct flight
between a South American city (Sao Paulo)
and an Arab country (Dubai) was inaugurated.
Trade Benefits
So, why has it taken so long?
Celso Amorim, the Brazilian foreign
minister, said: "Until now, both regions
used to always look towards the United
States or towards Europe, but never towards
each other.
"The unprecedented push to bring the two
regions closer is being applauded,
especially by the South American business
community.
"The potential here is unimaginable because,
if we look towards the Arab world as a whole
and Latin America, we see that the economies
of the two regions compliment each other
perfectly.
"In the Arab region they have large deserts
and a very dry climate, and in Latin America
we have green, fertile soil and 26 percent
of the world’s fresh water supply," Al
Kaddour said.
The balance of trade so far is in South
America's favour.
"The fod export sector is the most important
right now because the Arab region is a big
buyer of food products and South America,
especially Brazil and Argentina, are
countries with a large agro-industry," Al
Kaddour said.
It is hoped the second South American-Arab
Leaders' Summit in Doha will give a push to
the newfound relationship.
The widespread sympathy for the Palestinian
cause in South America, especially after
Israel's recent war on Gaza in which more
than 1,300 Palestinians were killed, should
contribute.
Venezuela and Bolivia went as far as to
expel the Israeli ambassadors in their
countries, and Chile and Brazil issued
strong condemnations during the Israeli
attacks on Gaza.
"It is very interesting to exchange views
between Arab and South American leaders, to
establish accords, no?" Chavez said. "The
most important thing, though, is the
geopolitical relationship. I think this is
the beginning of a path that we are
building, in the construction of a
multi-polar world."
*Published under an agreement with Al
Jazeera.
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