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President Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have issued a joint statement underscoring the "increasingly strong and close ties" between Brazil and the United States.
The joint statement, issued November 6 on the occasion of Bush's visit to Brazil, notes that the U.S.-Brazil partnership is "based on common values and objectives" such as the promotion of democracy, economic growth and international security, and the fight against terrorism.
According to the statement, Bush and Lula "reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relationship" and pledged to work together to support democratic governance, development, trade liberalization, human rights, counternarcotics efforts and technological advancements, as well as "other key shared priorities."
Following is the text of the joint Bush-Lula statement:
Joint Statement on the Occasion of the Visit by President George W. Bush to Brazil
1. Presidents George W. Bush and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underscored the increasingly strong and close ties that Brazil and the United States enjoy, based on common values and objectives, including the promotion of democracy, development, economic growth, trade liberalization, international security and combating terrorism.
They recognized the link between development, peace, security, human rights and social justice. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relationship based on these principles and to deepen the two nations' ongoing strategic dialogue on democracy, development, and other key shared priorities.
2. The Presidents underscored the priority that both governments attach to reforming the United Nations to make it more effective and attuned to present-day realities. They agreed to work together on issues such as management reform and the creation of a Human Rights Council and a Peacebuilding Commission.
They further committed to coordinate closely on the issue of Security Council reform, which they agreed was an important component of reform. They also reaffirmed their commitment to fighting hunger and poverty, promoting democratic values and fostering economic development and emphasized the importance of implementing the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development and the Millennium Development Goals.
3. They agreed to work together within the Community of Democracies to promote improved governance, regional and trans-regional dialogues, development and poverty alleviation. Brazil and the United States also agreed to make greater efforts to cooperate in the promotion of equal opportunity, democratic values and diversity in the workforce, taking into account the multiethnic and multicultural nature of their societies.
4. The Presidents also reaffirmed their commitment to working to ensure a positive outcome at the WTO Ministerial Conference, to be held in Hong Kong in December 2005 as well as the successful conclusion of the Doha Round by the end of 2006.
In this context, President Lula welcomed the statement delivered by President Bush in the 2005 U.N. High Level Plenary Meeting, reaffirming that the United States is ready to eliminate all tariffs, subsidies and other barriers to the free flow of goods and services as other nations do the same.
5. The Presidents noted with satisfaction the growth of bilateral trade and investment between the U.S. and Brazil. They committed themselves to encourage the public and private sectors of their respective countries to increase and diversify the bilateral flows of goods and services. To this end, they expressed their hope to substantially increase trade by 2010.
6. Reaffirming the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), they acknowledged that the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, and to a balance of rights and obligations, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare. The leaders agreed to promote innovation and technological advancement by providing strong intellectual property protection and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights. The Presidents also reaffirmed the Doha Declaration on Trips and Public Health.
7. They agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to combat the narcotics trade, trafficking in wildlife, terrorism, and money laundering, with an emphasis on information sharing between the two countries' financial intelligence units and the design of mechanisms to recover assets derived from transnational crimes.
8. As Co-Chairs of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process, the Presidents noted the importance of continuing efforts to promote trade liberalization and reaffirmed their commitment to the FTAA process, based on the Miami framework, and look forward to a hemispheric meeting for the timely resumption of the negotiations. They also observed that the efforts towards integration in South America, such as Mercosur and the South American Community of Nations (CASA), are important tools for the promotion of prosperity, stability and democracy in the region. Likewise, they noted that closer ties between South American countries also contribute to the objective of regional integration in Latin America and the Americas as a whole.
9. The two Presidents stated their intent to work together to address specific challenges facing the Americas and other regions. Presidents Bush and Lula expressed support for working in partnership with Africans to promote peace, democracy and prosperity across the continent of Africa.
10. With regard to health, they recognized the need to provide greater structure to the bilateral dialogue and expressed the desire to carry out joint activities to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis; to develop strategies for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases; and to address the threat of avian influenza.
11. The Presidents expressed their commitment to ensure that political stability, democracy, and development take firm root in Haiti. Brazil and the United States closely follow the development of the electoral process in Haiti and express their confidence that a new democratically elected President will take office on February 7, 2006.
12. The Presidents noted with satisfaction the activities of the working groups on economic growth, agriculture and energy established in June 2003, as well as the Consultative Mechanism on Trade and Investment established in 2001. The Presidents also committed to intensify existing dialogues and cooperation in science and technology, education, the environment, and promotion of trade and investment. They agreed to:
(a) convene the Joint Commission provided for in the 1984 Bilateral Agreement relating to Cooperation in Science and Technology and reinvigorate medium- and long-term activities in areas such as earth, atmospheric, and space sciences, health, biodiversity, and agriculture;
(b) renew the current Memorandum of Understanding, continuing the "Partnership in Education";
(c) elevate current dialogue on the protection of the environment and sustainable management of natural resources; and
(d) establish an informal consultative mechanism between the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade and the Department of Commerce.
13. The Presidents reaffirmed their friendship and their commitment to further strengthening ties between the two nations to foster freedom, democracy, security and prosperity.
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