This Wednesday, BE rejected the “disgraceful attack” on the UN Secretary-General and hailed his courage in calling for a ceasefire and respect for international law, inviting parliament to express solidarity with him.
Speaking to reporters in parliament, BE parliamentary leader Pedro Filipe Soares criticized the “disgraceful attack carried out against Antonio Guterres” and expressed “full solidarity” with the United Nations (UN) secretary-general.
“We believe that at this moment, from a foreign policy perspective, it is important that the Portuguese state declares its support for the Charter of the United Nations, the UN and António Guterres,” he said.
BE presented a draft vote of solidarity with the UN Secretary-General, which states that “despite the fact that António Guterres demands nothing less than an end to violence against civilians, and demands nothing less than an end to war crimes, he was brutally attacked.” .
According to BE, “there are times when demanding peace and respect for international law is an exercise in courage, when demanding humanitarian assistance and a ceasefire is an exercise in courage.”
“António Guterres had this courage. He deserves our solidarity in the face of the brutal attacks he has suffered at the hands of the Israeli government,” the draft vote says.
The party invites parliament to show solidarity with António Guterres by “rejecting the attacks he has suffered from Israel” and to emphasize “the need for a ceasefire in the region, access to humanitarian aid and condemnation of war crimes.”
BE also proposes that the Assembly of the Republic call on Israel “not to deny entry to UN representatives and officials or deny them access to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
In statements to journalists, Pedro Filipe Soares said he was “shocked” that two parliamentary parties – referring to Chegu and IL – came “to oppose the UN and against Antonio Guterres,” stressing that until now the parliament has “always been unanimous in signing the Charter of the United Nations.”
“If this is a matter of domestic policy, then this is not clear, because we should not mix things that are at different levels. If this is a structural choice regarding the relationship with the UN, with the Charter of the United Nations, it is really a concern for us,” he said.
Speaking in English at the opening of the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Guterres noted that “it is also important to recognize that the Hamas attacks did not occur in a vacuum,” adding that “the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.”
Guterres said that “the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the horrific attacks by Hamas,” just as “these horrific attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
At the same meeting, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen accused António Guterres of being out of touch with reality and showing understanding of the October 7 Hamas attack in a “shocking speech.”
On social network X, formerly called Twitter, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan called for the immediate resignation of António Guterres as the organization’s secretary general.
This Wednesday, Gilad Erdan announced Israel’s decision not to issue visas to UN representatives in an interview with Israel Army Radio.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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