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IBSA Summit aims at breakthrough initiatives
Sunil Dang onboard with PM's
special aircraft
 Pretoria
(South Africa): Indian, Brazilian and South African (IBSA) leaders are
expected to give full impetus to an initiative set to improve
South-South co-operation when their summit kicks off in the host
capital.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio
Lula da Silva and host South Africa President Thabo Mbeki are expected
to make concrete breakthroughs on issues such as trade barriers and
tariffs, according to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry's president, Habil Khorakiwala here.
IBSA was conceived in 2000 when Mbeki wrote to his counterparts in
India, Brazil, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to propose
the formation of a group of eight from the south.
It was agreed in 2003 that three countries should form the grouping with
a view to gradually extending it to all eight countries as it would be
easier to kick-start the initiative with three countries — India, Brazil
and South Africa — which have so much in common.
All three are vibrant and relatively young democracies, agree on major
global issues and are big economic players in their regions.
Five years after the inception of IBSA, trilateral trade among its
countries amounts to US$30 billion, heads of state meet twice a year,
and foreign ministers meet often to seek ways to implement their agenda
better.
But despite early and relative success, some businesses have called on
the three countries to ensure their initiative does not follow the route
taken by similar failed ones.
Speaking to the media, Khorakiwala warned that economic growth in the
grouping was hampered, ironically, by the slowness of its leaders to
make important trade concessions.
"We still face the issue of trade barriers and tariffs. Khorakiwala
Another problem we face is that of visa restrictions. If we were so
serious about free movement of persons and goods, why does it take us so
long to scrap visa requirements among us?" he queried.
Khorakiwala also said that while IBSA countries were pursuing the
Millennium Development Goals — among them free access to medical care
and facilities — unresolved issues of intellectual property were
barriers to access to cheaper drugs and treatment.
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