A conference of leaders from 21 Arab and Middle Eastern Nations, as well as 12 Latin American countries, met in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, for a summit whose principal goal is to address the needs of the world’s poor. The members of the summit included Luis Ignacio de Silva, president of Brazil, anti-corporate Venezuelan leader Chavez, and US-backed President Talbani of Iraq. The conference condemned Israeli occupation in the West Bank, condemned U.S. sanctions on Syria, and while they condemned terrorism, they sought to create a new meaning for the term not defined by wealthy nations. A U.S. request to send an observer to the summit was denied. Communication between the regions is inevitable, as millions of persons of Arab descent live in Latin America.