While speaking to journalists on the island of Pico in the Azores, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that he was already aware of the Government’s intention, saying he frequently communicates with the Prime Minister “day in, day out.” He added that Luís Montenegro contacted him before announcing his intention to consult the head of state and the parties.
The President of the Republic expressed his reluctance to comment further on the matter, highlighting his approach of being “very silent, very prudent, very discreet,” and his intention to “manage the end of the mandate gently, lightly,” while avoiding being “truculent.”
When questioned about whether Portugal would proceed with the recognition without waiting, for instance, for the signatory countries of a joint declaration at the UN on the two-state solution, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa claimed not to have “divinatory powers.”
“I cannot imagine what the governments of several other countries will do, consider, or decide in terms of content and timing. Each of them is sovereign. Thus, they adjusted, signed a declaration, and then reserved the time to eventually implement it in the future,” he explained.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted that “each will decide for itself” as “no country can prevail over the others.”
This morning, shortly after the Government’s intention became known, the President of the Republic commented on the executive’s “very prudent and very sensible” process regarding the recognition of Palestine, adding that Portugal is analyzing the “deterioration of the situation” in the Gaza Strip.
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced today that he will consult the President of the Republic and political parties with parliamentary representation to “consider the recognition of the Palestinian State” at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“The Government has decided to promote consultations with his Excellency the President of the Republic and political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic, in order to consider recognizing the Palestinian State, in a procedure that can be concluded during the High-Level Week of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York next September,” announced the Prime Minister in a statement.
