Timeline: The road to Brasilia

Below is a timeline of events and meetings leading up to the Summit of South American-Arab Countries in Brasilia, Brazil.

President Lula has worked on the idea for 18 months

30 January 2004: Pundits from Latin America and the Arab states meet in Geneva. The meeting is chaired by Brazilian minister of foreign relations Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim. It is attended by Arab and Latin American ambassadors.

16 February 2004: Arab Ambassadors to Brazil attend a meeting in Brasilia. The meeting is chaired by Brazilian Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Vera Pedrosa Martins de Almeida.

23 March 2004: Ambassadors of the Arab Maghrib (Mauritanian, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Liyba) meet with Ambassador Pedro Motta, General Director of the Department of Africa at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations.

8-9 May 2004: Amorim meets Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.

22 June 2004: Presentation of declaration draft in Brasilia.

3-4 July 2004: Brazilian Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Vera Pedrosa Martins de Almeida pays official visit to Morocco.

15 July 2004: Participant countries discuss a final declaration draft comprising all issues of mutual interest.

10 September 2004: Senior officials meet in Geneva to work out the final declaration draft.

13-14 September 2004: Arab foreign ministers meet in Cairo to discuss the agenda.

23 September 2004: A ministerial coordination meeting is held in New York.

14-15 October 2004: South American countries hold a coordination meeting in Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

30-31 October 2004: Joint preparatory committee holds its first meeting in Cairo.

24 November 2004: A coordination meeting between South American states is held in Brasilia.

8-10 December 2004: A joint preparatory committee meeting is held in New York.

5-6 January 2005: The Arab League economic and social council holds its annual meeting in Cairo. The Arab delegates discuss the recommendations in the draft declaration relating to economic and social issues.

22-23 February 2005: Permanent representatives to the Arab League discuss the preparations and the agenda for the summit.

The delegates approve the final declaration draft.

The statement is to be presented to foreign ministers of the participating countries who will meet in Marrakech, Morocco, on 25-26 March 2005.

Arab officials say the draft will include two parts: the first on boosting cooperation, coordination and understanding between the Arab and Latin sides to support world peace, the second on enhancing multi-sided relations in the world to combat hunger and poverty.

23 March 2005: Morocco hosts a seminar on cultural aspects of South America.

24 March 2005: Senior officials from Arab and South American countries hold a meeting in Marrakech.

25 March 2005: Foreign ministers of the 34 countries (22 Arab and 12 South American) participating in the summit meet in the final preparatory meeting in Marrakech to lay the groundwork for the summit. They again discuss, among other topics, the final declaration draft of the Brasilia Summit.

8 May 2005: Senior officials from Arab and South American countries will meet in Brasilia.

9 May 2005: Foreign ministers of the 34 participating countries will meet in Brasilia. The participating countries will also organise a business seminar and an investment fair in Brasilia on the same day.

10-11 May 2005: Summit of South American-Arab Countries opens in Brasilia.

Source: Al Jazeera