Discurso do Presidente da República por ocasião do Banquete oferecido pelo Primeiro - Ministro do Canadá

Ottawa
28 de Maio de 2001


Senhor Primeiro-Ministro,
Excelências,
Minhas Senhoras e Meus Senhores,

Agradeço-lhe, Senhor Primeiro-Ministro, as amáveis palavras que me dirigiu, bem como todas as atenções de que tenho sido rodeado pelas autoridades canadianas nesta Visita de Estado, a todos os títulos memorável, que efectuo ao vosso país.

Esta visita é ocasião para celebrar cinco séculos de contactos ininterruptos entre Portugal e o Canadá, iniciados com a viagem de Gaspar Côrte-Real à Terra Nova, que deixaram marca indelével na história dos nossos países;

É uma forma de assinalar a sólida amizade existente - sublinhada por laços de aliança, pela comum adesão aos valores da democracia, do respeito pelos direitos humanos e da solidariedade e pela presença no Canadá de mais de meio milhão de portugueses e luso-descendentes, que aqui descobriram uma terra de oportunidades; é um ensejo para dinamizar essa relação, reforçando e enriquecendo os nossos intercâmbios humanos, económicos e culturais, que se situam ainda aquém do seu vasto potencial.

Podemos felicitar-nos pelo facto de não existirem quaisquer contenciosos no plano das nossas relações bilaterais. Tal não significa, todavia, que nada haja a fazer para as reforçar.

São meus objectivos nesta visita aprofundar as consultas políticas sobre um vasto leque de assuntos de interesse comum, alguns dos quais tive oportunidade de abordar esta manhã com Vossa Excelência; desenvolver os investimentos, as parcerias e as trocas comerciais entre Portugal e o Canadá, razão pela qual me faço acompanhar por uma importante missão empresarial; desejo também encorajar os canadianos a descobrirem o Portugal moderno, as suas belezas naturais, o património artístico, a riqueza da cultura, a variedade da gastronomia; quero ainda incentivar os luso-canadianos aqui radicados a afirmarem-se e a participarem mais na vida política e social deste país; sensibilizar as autoridades canadianas para a promoção do ensino da língua portuguesa; conhecer melhor a experiência tão rica de integração e sã convivência entre comunidades com diversas origens e culturas que é a marca da vossa sociedade.


Prime Minister,

As members of the Euro-Atlantic community, Canada and Portugal belong to one of the more developed and better integrated political and economic areas of the contemporary world. This gives them particular responsibilities in the international field.

Globalisation, hand in hand with the opportunities that it undoubtedly provides, has highlighted the need to strengthen governability at the international level to combat the scourges of misery, disease, intolerance and war, strengthen conflict prevention mechanisms, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and promote arms control, avoid harm to our environment, combat illegal traffics of all types as well as organised crime.

Only by boosting international co-operation can we tackle these problems, which are factors of instability and may endanger the progress made in recent years in adherence to the principles of democracy, respect for human rights and a market economy.

We consider, therefore, that it is vital to favour multilateral approaches, strengthen the role of international institutions, and ensure respect for international law. We also believe that regional integration processes, of which the European Union and NAFTA are important examples, play a decisive role in the organisation of international life. We are following with great interest the project of the Free Trade Association of the Americas recently launched at the summit in Quebec. We hope this will be an opportunity for, and not an obstacle to, the development of the European Union's relations with the American continent.

As a member of the European Union and NATO, Portugal has an active voice in all discussions on the major themes of international politics. Allow me to highlight some which I consider particularly important.

In the first place, the political and moral challenge posed to the international community by the distressing misery in which millions of people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, live, which contributes to severe public health problems, leading to the alarming spread of contagious diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Not only do they represent a human catastrophe, but extreme poverty and the pandemics affecting these regions are a source of instability, contributing to the great number of armed conflicts that ravage the African continent. The international community cannot stand idle. I am certain that we can rely on your contribution in overcoming these problems, which are cause for concern for everyone.

In the second place, the environment. We cannot slow down our efforts to attack the problem of global warming, a phenomenon with unforeseeable consequence for our collective future whose existence has been sufficiently proved by science. The Kyoto Protocol continues to be the only instrument available for concerted action at international level in this respect and it should serve as the basis for the pursuit of our efforts. That is why the European Union is still committed to its ratification.

In the third place, the question of arms control. We are closely following the United States' initiative of building an anti-missile defence system.

We consider that such a far-reaching project, representing a radical change in the concepts behind strategic stability in relations between the main nuclear powers, is a subject that interests all members of NATO, with whom, as well as with Russia and China, extensive and in depth consultations should be held. In the nuclear age, security cannot result only from unilateral measures but requires a co-operative, confidence-building approach.

I am happy to say that in our talks this morning we found convergent points of view on many of these subjects.


Monsieur le Premier Ministre,

Dans le cadre de l’Union européenne, nous nous employons avec détermination à accomplir le dessein visionnaire d’unir les démocraties européennes. Le processus de construction européenne est parvenu à réconcilier les États du vieux continent, si souvent en désaccord, autour d’un projet commun, dont la progression a été impressionnante, dans les domaines politique, juridique, économique et, de plus en plus, culturel. Mais les défis que nous devons relever revêtent, eux aussi, une dimension historique.

Je relève, bien entendu, l’élargissement aux démocraties de l’Europe centrale et orientale, qui représente pour l’Union européenne un dessein stratégique et un impératif éthique.

Mais j’aimerais également souligner l’introduction de la monnaie européenne, l’euro, qui commencera à circuler à partir de janvier 2002, la consolidation de la Politique étrangère, de sécurité et de défense commune, en articulation avec l’OTAN, ainsi que la réforme institutionnelle de l’Union, qui sera l’occasion d’un débat constitutionnel faisant intervenir, espérons-le, non seulement les gouvernements, mais également les citoyens des Etats membres de l’Union européenne.

La construction de l’Europe ne signifie pas, pour autant, que nous attribuions une importance moindre au maintien du lien transatlantique. La stabilité et la durabilité de l’Alliance Atlantique attestent la solidité de nos relations, basées sur une communauté de valeurs. Les processus d’intégration régionale auxquels nous prenons part ne sont pas mutuellement exclusifs.

Au contraire, je suis convaincu qu’entre l’Europe et le grand continent américain, nous saurons installer et renforcer un solide partenariat, qui profite à tous. Dans ce contexte, je tiens à souligner la haute valeur que nous attribuons à la contribution du Canada, que ce soit dans le cadre de l’OTAN, comme dans le cadre des relations avec l’Union européenne.


Monsieur le Premier Ministre,

Avant de terminer, j’aimerais vous remercier une fois encore de l’accueil chaleureux que vous avez réservé aux personnes qui m’accompagnent et à moi-même. C’est avec une grande émotion et une sincère amitié que je demande à toutes les personnes présentes de porter avec moi un toast à la santé de Monsieur le Premier Ministre, Jean Chrétien, à la prospérité du Canada et au renforcement des solides relations de confiance qui unissent nos deux pays.