The leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL) opined on Tuesday that the intervention of Brazil’s president at the April 25 formal session “makes no sense whatsoever”, but believed there would be no problem if it were done in another ceremony.
“What we have said is that we will always participate in the formal session of April 25, April 25 is a milestone for the Portuguese (…) now we believe that it makes no sense for Lula da Silva (Brazilian President) to take part in the solemn session, since the whole process leading to the fact that this was intended to be known is pointless”said Rui Rocha to journalists in Porto during a housing campaign.
If the intervention were to take place, he expected, when Lula da Silva is speaking, the IL bank will leave the room and return when he is ready. “I hope the President of the Assembly of the Republic realizes that this would be a divisive decision by Portuguese society and that it makes no sense”he stressed.
However, Rui Rocha said that he sees no problem if Lula da Silva’s intervention takes place outside the formal session. “We already have situations where other heads of state spoke and were present in the Assembly of the Republic and therefore, if this intervention takes place outside the solemn session of April 25, we have no opposition in principle”he stressed.
On Friday, Santos Silva said he was gathering “all the information” needed to propose to the parties how to organize the “welcoming session” for Brazil’s president during his state visit in April.
The day before, in response to the Lusa news agency to the announcement in Brasília by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, that the Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, would speak at the Assembly of the Republic in the formal session of April 25, an official source from Augusto Santos Silva’s office referred any decision to “in due course”. “According to the Rules, the agenda is set by the PAR, after hearing the Conference of Leaders, and it will be done in due course with regard to the sessions to be held in the second half of April”replied Santos Silva’s office, without further explanation.
That afternoon, in parliament, Chega and Iniciativa Liberal criticized the foreign minister for announcing that the Brazilian president would speak at the April 25 commemorations, deeming it “a disrespect” for parliament and an “unacceptable trampling” . However, that same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, clarified that the Assembly of the Republic “is sovereign in the decisions it takes.
Source: DN
