Declaration elicits exclamation from European observers

BRUSSELS - Scholars from European countries expressed surprise that the BRICS group of developing countries agreed on such a "long, impressive and ambitious" declaration, which will inject new impetus into international relations and governance.

They said the five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will face mounting tasks of coordination to put the plan into action.

"I'm quite surprised how long the declaration is and how wide (an area) it covers," said Duncan Freeman, a senior researcher at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies. "It goes beyond my expectations."