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A promising forum

For all the talk over many decades of the need for enhanced South-South cooperation, the interaction among the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America has been nothing to write home about. With the India-Brazil-South Africa forum — which met on September 13 at the summit level for the first time — promising a fresh dynamic, this situation should change. The three countries must add weight to their statement of intent by cooperating constructively as they try to achieve energy security. Brazil is the world leader in the use of ethanol; South Africa has developed coal gasification technology and a synthetic fuel industry; and India has some expertise in the fields of wind and solar energy. The promise by the other two members of the IBSA forum to support India's efforts to open the tap of civilian nuclear cooperation could be significant. Both Brazil and South Africa have uranium deposits and considerable technological competence in the civilian nuclear field. False pride induced by its emergence as a nuclear weapon state should not restrain India from seeking their cooperation and assistance. The apartheid regime in South Africa developed a limited nuclear weapon capability, consisting of six warheads. Thanks to Nelson Mandela's great vision, a South Africa in transition dismantled and eliminated these weapons to the full satisfaction of the International Atomic Energy Agency before signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty in July 1991. Brazil, which like Argentina was believed to have a secret weapons programme, renounced military nuclear capability after it concluded with its rival a series of declarations and agreements that culminated in both countries ratifying the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1994.

IBSA has made at least a small difference to the World Trade Organisation's Doha round of negotiations. Brasilia and New Delhi have also supported each other's effort to obtain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and Pretoria could become a contender if the countries of Africa are able to arrive at a common approach to membership in this body. As multi-cultural democracies with their own perspectives on international security and developmental issues, the three countries add value to any global debate on these subjects. If they coordinate their efforts, they can help work out new methods for dealing with terrorism. They can also ensure that issues of sustainability and equity are not neglected when the international community tackles the challenges posed by an increasingly globalised market. It is heartening that several Indian companies in the information technology, pharmaceuticals, and energy fields have made investments in Brazil. Even if it takes time for the potential of the forum to be realised, millions of Indians will be satisfied with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's participation in the IBSA summit if Brazil delivers, any time soon, on its promise to send football coaches.

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