Portugal’s Guantanamo Offer Echoes Across World Media

APPA NEWSROOM, LONDON, 13/12/08 -Portugal’s sudden offer to take some prisoners from Guantanamo Bay has taken media and diplomatic circles in Europe and across the Atlantic by storm, by taking a leadership in a matter that has been on the Euro-American agenda since Barack Obama was elected, though not with much in terms of European good-will to help resolving a problem European Union leaders are often keen to classify as an “American Problem”.

The issue, of course, departs from President Elect Barack Obama’s electoral promise to close down Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp - Cuba, but there is no easy solution. Guantanamo Bay houses about 250 prisoners, most of whom linked with the anti-terrorism investigations following the attack on New York twin towers and ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Amado’s position however, has toppled upside down EU’s “cold feet” in regards to helping the United States, not just by taking the lead - offering to remove some prisoners from Guantanamo and transfer them to Portugal - but more significantly by pushing European Union leaders to follow suit, a move which clearly most European Union member countries appear to be reluctant to follow.

In a letter released just two days ago, the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister urged European Union governments to take action saying that “the time has come for the European Union to step forward”, adding that Portugal was ready to take part in an European resettlement program.

Mr Amado’s timing - we might add - was spot on, if we consider Obama’s Administration is due to take office in about one month’s time, incidentally a clear signal that Portugal is not doing a favour to the departing Bush Administration, but rather embracing efforts for a new World order, seeking fresh solutions for old problems.

At the core of the issue are 60 prisoners, already cleared by the Pentagon, but who cannot be returned back to their native countries for fears of persecution, torture and even death, placing Portugal at the forefront of Human Rights defence concerns.

 The first European country to take a positive lead in the issue, Portugal jumped to the front page of World media, being given coverage for an offer that has been understood as genuine, positive and the first friendly move to unfreeze relations between the United States and the European Union, paving the ground for Obama’s Administration and easing pressure in diplomatic relations across the Atlantic.

Human Rights organisations across the Globe have welcomed the Portuguese Leadership in this issue. The Centre for Constitutional Rights’s chief lawyer, Mr MacLean said: “This step is an important one to usher us into a new era”. And there is little doubt the Portuguese initiative has placed Portugal in the good auspices across the Arab world.

Portugal’s lead was this morning hailed across all major international media, including the BBC and the New York Times. The Arabic TV channel AL JAZEERA has also given the Portuguese initiative ample coverage, as well as The Guardian, Amnesty International, the International Human Rights Watch, among almost 500 other international media organisations.

Not surprisingly, the London Times has taken a different, more conservative view, playing down the Portuguese Leadership in this Human Rights important issue, preferring to focus on American pressure.

Pope Breaks Diplomatic Protocol to Bless Barack Obama

APPA NEWS, EDINBURGH-UK - The Holy See, known for its rigid diplomatic protocol, has opened an exception and protocol went straight out of the window as fast as Barack Obama was confirmed as the President elect of the United States.

The Vatican normally sends formal congratulatory blessings and felicitations messages to politicians around the world, but usually only on the day of Inauguration of Office and never before.

Obama’s historic victory however seemed to have moved the Holy See off its usual diplomatic rumblings as the Pope’s spokesman, Fr. Lombardy confirmed today a “private message” of congratulations has been sent off, signed by His Holiness, the contents of which are yet to be known in full [if ever!], but the Vatican confirmed Pope Benedict XVI sent Barack Obama His blessing of God wishing it “will support Obama and the American people so that with all people of good will, “a world of peace, solidarity and justice can be built”.

On Obama’s Inauguration Day - 20th January 2009 - a formal message will be sent, said Fr. Lombardi who took the opportunity to confirm the Holy See is keen to cooperate with the new US Administration, including sensitive issues concerning Christian communities in the Middle East, as well as other troubled areas of the world.

The Vatican approach could have not been more at odds with that of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,

who preferred to congratulate Barack Obama, by offering him “some good advice” on the first meeting together somewhere in the very near future. Berlusconi’s message has already sparked some “smiles” and raised eyebrows, amid public criticism of his patronising message to Barack Obama, in the light of his long lasting ally stance with George W. Bush.

Obama’s Victory Proof of America’s Ability to Reinvent Itself

APPA NEWS, LONDON-UK -Barack Obama’s landslide victory today doubtless represents a turn in American politics, but this is no surprise, given George W. Bush’s all time low popularity record [less than 1 in every 4 Americans], the war in Iraq, the credit crunch and the American economy smashed to pieces, having fallen from a healthy surplus at the end of Clinton’s presidency to its present deficit, the largest in American history!

What is really remarkable is that for the first time a black man makes it to the White House. But is it remarkable because Obama is black? Hardly! What is truly worth noting is that this election marked a point of no return in American politics and History, a point where Americans did not care about skin colour or any other set of superficial criteria for that matter.

What truly made the American election absolutely remarkable, is that for the first time a man - who happens to be black Afro-American - was elected against all the odds, purely on his message to the Electorate, a profoundly honest and genuinely committed approach to the Public Cause of the American People and here we find the extraordinary difference that made the difference, a sharp contrast between political rhetoric and a new, truer and more genuine no-nonsense approach, addressing people’s minds and hearts, focusing on what truly matters. And the great Cause of Public Common Good is what really matters in politics.

Black, white or indeed any other colour did not make any difference in this election, even though Barack Obama’s election in itself will go down on History books because for the first time a black Afro-American was elected President of the United States.

But should we really focus on the elected?

Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere, the electorate, for this election is also a strong signal of change in the very fabric of American life. Multi-cultural as never before, multi-ethnic and multi-national, America has changed in itself and brought change within itself in this election, proving even to the most sceptical its ability to pull itself up from the ashes, re-invent itself and kick off to a new start. On the night of the greatest electoral victory in 50 years.

In the night of a huge Democrats’ victory, of a remarkable man’s victory and ultimately of the American People’s victory, it was John McCain who was able to sum it up in just three words: “Americans never quit!”.

Portuguese Prime Minister Hails 44th New USA President Barack Obama

APPA NEWS, LISBON-PORTUGAL -Portuguese PM José Sócrates has sent his warmest congratulations to the newly elected President Barack Obama.

The Portuguese PM’s message focused on the notion of change by stating “this triumph represents an opportunity for change, both in the United States and the World”, noting the American election as a truly historical moment, signaling also an opportunity for a fresh start, a renovated relationship between the United States and Europe, working together for Peace and Cooperation between the two continents, in a better regulated global world.

The Portuguese Government, together with the French President Sarkozy, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the European Commission President Durão Barroso, were the very first European leaders to convey to the new President of the United States, Barack Obama, messages of congratulations on a truly unforgettable electoral Marathon.

EU Commission President Durao Barroso Hails Barack Obama

APPA NEWS, LONDON - UK - European Union Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso has been quick, in fact one of the very first to salute President elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama, on what is being estimated in political circles around the World, as a huge landslide victory!

According to British newswires, Mr Durão Barroso has sent messages of congratulations to the newly elected President of the United States saying that “Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis and global warming.”

However politically correct, the move is nonetheless a surprising 360 degrees twist, as it is historically well known that Mr Barroso played host at the Azores Summit, which he proposed himself, to Toni Blair and President George W. Bush, days before America and

 the UK embarked on the War against Iraq.

Mr Durão Barroso, who was at the time the Portuguese Prime Minister, became the nominee of choice for the presidency of the European Commission, shortly after.

Popular memory may be short, but journalism must remain independent and recall the record of that day, 16 of March 2003, when José Manuel Durão Barroso, Toni Blair, José Maria Aznar and George W. Bush met to come up with a declarative statement on the issue of Iraq, which, we may agree, presented some Peace rhetoric, courtesy of Mr Barroso, together with enough jargon about weapons of mass destruction which never

existed, based upon intelligence, which was wrong, despite United Nations resolutions that condemned Iraq but did not convey a licence to invade or go to war and ultimately, against scores and scores in Public Opinion, strongly opposed to war in Iraq, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Doubtless, five years later, Mr Barroso is right about the new USA President elect taking office “at a critical juncture”.

We are wondering and keen to find out indeed, whose “juncture” ?… Barack Obama’s?… Or Mr Barroso’s himself?

For a full transcript of the Azores Summit, 16 March 2003, click here.