BRICS leaders to adopt declaration on NAfrica, Mideast situation

SANYA /CHINA/, April 14 (Itar-Tass) - The participants in the first
summit of BRICS in China - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the
leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa -- intend to discuss and
adopt a declaration on Thursday evaluating the key aspects of cooperation
between the member-states of the organization.
Sergei Prikhodko, an aide to the Russian president, said the leaders
would attend the signing of a framework agreement on financial cooperation
in BRICS banking mechanisms. Vnesheconombank is the signatory for Russia.
"BRICS is an informal association, and therefore effective," Prikhodko
said, "the agenda, proposed by the host country, envisions the discussion
of both global issues an practical aspects of BRICS cooperation."
The summit is expected to adopt important decisions on coordinated
stance in further promotion of the reform of the international currency
and financial system and the problem of decreasing the volatility of raw
materials prices.
"The BRICS countries therefore will be able to make a significant
joint contribution to preparing the G-20 summit which will take place in
Cannes in November," the aide underlined.
"Working together in the G-20 group, we've scored considerable
progress in the past 12 months in reforming the international financial
and economic architecture. As a result, the share of the countries with
developing markets and the developing countries in the World Bank
increased from 43.97 percent to 47.19 percent of all votes, while in the
IMF, it rose from 39.5 percent to 42.29 percent.
Four countries - China, Russia, Brazil and India -- are among the
IMF's top ten shareholders.
The leaders will consider "direct cooperation between the partnership
countries, and the WTO talks within the framework of the Doha round."
The climate change problem will be put on the agenda for the first
time. The leaders plan to include a joint action plan on the issue in the
Declaration.
"The theme of a broader use of national currency will be touched upon
at the summit to this or that extent. We're working on it with several
countries. I believe it's premature to set an objective in order to write
it down, but we'll continue our efforts within the G-20.
"The key issue of the international agenda is the situation in the
Middle East and North Africa. "We are not indifferent in watching these
events. As you remember, Russia, Brazil, India and China abstained during
the voting on US Security Council resolution 1973 (on Libya)," Prikhodko
said.
The Kremlin has a positive opinion of the work carried out by BRIC
after the summit in Brazil.
"There've been meetings since between high representatives over
security issues, including ministers of foreign affairs, finance
ministers, Central Bank chiefs and statistical services directors.
"The dialogue over international and political problems in connection
with simultaneous participation of all partners in the UN Security Council
has stepped to a considerable extent. Our positions on many problems
discussed at UN bodies are quite close, for example at the human rights
council and ECOSOS.
"The meeting between the leaders gives a stimulus for still closer
cooperation between the BRICS states in international and political
sphere, especially at the UN SC," the presidential aide said.
Another important theme of the meeting is the modernization of the
economy and the society on the track to develop high-tech branches of
industry and achieve a dramatic increase in the standard of living.
The Russian president will brief his partners on Moscow's vision of
the development of such cooperation, including the setup of working
mechanisms involving businesses.
The leaders may exchange their views on more vigorous involvement of
the civil society in developing cooperation with the framework of BRICS.
This format gives the member-states unique opportunities in economic
and scientific and technological cooperation on the basis of
complementariness of their economies, the Kremlin said.
"It was confirmed by a rather fruitful summit of BRICS scientists.
Together, they have a tremendous resource base, the world's largest labor
reserves and large domestic markets," Prikhodko reminded.