San Tome, July 26, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The about-to-be implemented orthographic agreement among Portuguese-speaking countries and the admission of East Timor to the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) are among the accomplishments of the past two years, during which Brazil exercised the presidency of the organization. On Tuesday (27), at the 5th Conference of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries, in San Tome and Principe, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will officially turn over the two-year presidency of the CPLP to the President of San Tome and Principe, Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes, together with a positive balance sheet of Brazil's leadership of the CPLP, affirmed Brazilian Chancellor, Celso Amorim.
According to Amorim, these two years saw the intensification of cooperation among Portuguese-speaking countries. He underlined the installation of two centers of cooperation in Africa. The first, chiefly for entrepreneurial activities, in Angola, and the other, for public administration, in Mozambique.
The Minister of Foreign Relations also recalled that the CPLP played an important role in the consolidation of democratic regimes in Guinea-Bissau and in San Tome and Principe. In Guinea-Bissau the community acted to guarantee the recent legislative elections, he commented. While in San Tome, in a rapid political move by the Ministers who participate in the CPLP, a coup attempt was stifled.
Amorim also recalled that the CPLP is an entity that establishes "favorable settings for bilateral and trilateral cooperation projects." As an example, he cited the agreements between Brazil and Mozambique to combat Aids.
A technical cooperation agreement to fight malaria is also expected to be signed by the members of the CPLP. Malaria kills more people than any other disease in Africa and affects all of the Portuguese-speaking countries, with the exception of Porugal. In San Tome and Principe, it is the leading cause of death among the population.
Reporters: Ana Maria Rocha, Marcos Chagas, and Nelson Mota
Translator: David Silberstein
