The PS leader stated on Saturday that it is not possible to confuse the terrorist movement Hamas and the Palestinian people and referred to António Guterres’ struggle for the independence of East Timor and for the continued defense of international law.
António Costa defended the action of his ‘comrade’ and current Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, right at the beginning of the speech he made before the PS National Commission, which takes place at the Lisbon International Fair. (FIL).
First, the Prime Minister began by emphasizing that Israel was the target of “barbaric terrorist attacks” by Hamas on the 7th.
As such, Israel has, according to António Costa, “the right to defend itself and to act militarily to destroy Hamas’s ability to repeat these attacks.” And politically and diplomatically, the Tel Aviv government deserves “total solidarity.”
However, according to the Portuguese Prime Minister, wars must comply with the rules of international law.
“There is no war, neither in Ukraine nor in the Gaza Strip, in which it is acceptable to disrespect international law.” he insisted, before referring to Portugal’s experience with international conflict, namely in East Timor, between 1975 and 1999.
“Respect for international law goes against the law of the strongest and ensures that the fundamental principles of the international community are always preserved. Sometimes it takes time, but as long as steadfastness and cohesion are maintained, we will eventually win one day.”’, he advocated, recalling Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 1975.
António Costa pointed out that for many years Portugal was virtually alone in defending East Timor and that the national diplomatic position even led to misunderstandings in most diplomatic circles.
“But Portugal never gave up its weapons. And if Timor-Leste is an independent state today and its right to self-determination was recognized in 1999, it is because there has always been coherence in the defense of international law and at the forefront of the country. This struggle was the current Secretary General of the United Nations, our comrade António Guterres,” he noted, receiving prolonged applause.
Still in an allusion to António Guterres’ controversial speech, the current Portuguese Prime Minister again defended the UN Secretary during a meeting of the Security Council of Nations – in which he insisted that the Hamas attack did not arise in a vacuum. in general, but also such as Portugal’s coherence in conducting its foreign policy.
“With the same legitimacy with which we unequivocally condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, 2022 – and since that day we have not negotiated financial, humanitarian and military support – the same way we condemned the Hamas attack convicted.” brutal attack on Israel, with the same conviction and authority we say that the right of defense must be exercised with scrupulous respect for humanitarian law and international law, and that it is not possible to confuse a terrorist group with the Palestinian people.” , he added. Antonio Costa.
Source: DN
