BRICS agrees joint declaration despite Mideast tensions

NEW DELHI, Sept 12: The BRICS group of emerging economies has agreed on a joint declaration, sources told Reuters on Saturday, a significant diplomatic breakthrough as its leaders began summit talks in New Delhi, aiming to boost the bloc's global clout.

Host India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the bloc had come of age and it was time to translate its unity and consensus into concrete results on the global stage, as he opened the meeting.

The summit, hoping to bridge divisions between members Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the Gulf conflict, is being held as the United States and Iran resume tit-for-tat strikes in their six-month-old war.

That followed a pause in fighting for much of August, while the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen tightened their grip in the Red Sea region.

Negotiators had agreed on a joint declaration unlikely to name any country but which will condemn unilateral aggression by any country, four sources told Reuters, adding that the bloc's leaders were expected to approve the document later on Saturday.

The sources declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. The foreign ministry of host India did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the declaration.

The negotiations saw differences on several contentious issues but India led sustained consultations to bridge competing positions and build consensus among members, said an Indian source with direct knowledge of the development.

Against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts and heightened tensions in the Gulf region, securing consensus presented a particularly complex diplomatic challenge, the source said.

Foreign policy experts had said the key test for the bloc would be finding language on the Middle East crisis that both Abu Dhabi and Tehran could accept, clearing the way for a joint declaration.

Such a joint statement was unlikely to influence the current geopolitical landscape, but would demonstrate unity by a grouping of emerging nations against economically debilitating policies such as Western sanctions, they said.

The BRICS bloc is seeking to raise its profile by influencing international rules and demanding the reform of institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, which some members view as being dominated by Western powers.

AFP adds, members of the 11-nation BRICS group including China, Russia, Iran and India called for calm in the Middle East, in a joint statement issued Saturday at a summit in New Delhi.

"We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia and, recalling our respective national positions, call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation," said the statement.

Foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping failed to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May, with member states Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates divided over the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

But a statement was issued at the leaders' meeting on Saturday after intense diplomatic efforts by host India.

The statement also condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities.

"We express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA," it said.

"Nuclear safeguards, safety, and security must always be upheld, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment from harm."�"AGENCIES