The two-day "culture summit" was convened on the initiative of Spain, France and Brazil.
Conference delegates aimed to coordinate their positions before the October 2005 UNESCO General Conference in Paris, Spanish Culture Minister Carmen Calvo said. The conference is to pass an international agreement that would help develop national cultures and preserve unique small-country cultures.
Conference organizers believed that culture profitability was not the most important thing because culture was a spiritual phenomenon reflecting regional moral-ethical values.
The US delegation that had observer status in Madrid opposed this concept, saying culture must be profitable, must develop in line with market factors, and must not rely on state support.
The United States which controls 82 % of global film distribution and 70 % of music production insists on this concept.
More than 130 countries think that commercial culture is not the main aspect. Most delegates suggested signing a convention on protecting cultural diversity as an important spiritual-heritage element in Paris.
The document shall enter into force when ratified by 30 national parliaments.
