BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Foreign ministers and envoys from South American and Arab countries vowed Thursday to increase cooperation and trade, while pledging to bolster Middle East security.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa closed the two-day gathering in Argentina of more than 30 nations with a news conference at which he announced a commitment to study ways to lower trade barriers. He said the countries, with a combined population of some 800 million people, represent an enormous market with great possibilities.
The meeting was a follow-up to a 2005 Brazil gathering to promote economic and social development.
The countries agreed to new efforts to develop renewable energy sources, including biofuels, and joint ventures in mining and infrastructure.
Envoys also expressed a desire to eliminate nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction across the volatile Middle East in the name of regional stability and security.
Besides Argentina, South America was represented by envoys from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Their counterparts came from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, and Yemen, among others.
