Mozambique’s UN Ambassador praises Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s statements on colonial-era reparations

Mozambique’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Commissioner Pedro Afonso, praised this Wednesday the “courageous” statements of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on reparations for the colonial era and called on “all Portuguese to do the same.” .

Asked by Lusa about Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s position, the ambassador declined to speak on behalf of Mozambique as he was still “awaiting instructions” from the government, but in his personal capacity expressed “strong support” for the Portuguese president’s statements.

“This means that he is aware of honesty and justice in international relations, even in relation to the past. (…) Taking a position of reparation, condemnation of the past is the right thing to do,” the diplomat said. at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.

“And we shouldn’t philosophize about this issue. Colonialism was a mistake. Slavery was a mistake, and to speak out against this evil, to speak out – I’m not even saying that doing it – is a very positive act,” Pedro added. Commissioner Afonso.

Once again, when asked by Lusa whether he expected any concrete measures from Portugal regarding the possibility of reparations, the ambassador replied that acknowledging the mistakes of the past “is already a measure of reparations.”

“No, not me [espero medidas concretas]. (…) To say that the past was wrong is already a measure of reparation. But if we can go beyond that, yes, that will be even better,” he said.

Commissioner Pedro Afonso also admitted that he “likes” the Portuguese president and praised his “courageous attitude,” especially because “Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s father was a colonial governor in Mozambique.”

The Mozambican Ambassador was referring to the fact that Balthasar Leite Rebelo de Sousa, the father of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was appointed Governor General of Mozambique in 1968 and held the position for about two years.

“So we can safely say that colonialism and slavery were a mistake. We therefore call on all Portuguese to do the same,” concluded the diplomat, who was also Mozambique’s ambassador to Portugal.

Last week, during a dinner with foreign correspondents in Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sparked controversy by proposing reparations for past mistakes by acknowledging Portugal’s responsibility for crimes committed during the colonial era.

“We have to pay the costs. Are there actions that were not punished and the perpetrators were not arrested? Are there goods that were looted and were not returned? Let’s see how we can correct this,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, quoted Reuters agency.

On Tuesday, during a visit to Cape Verde and after sharp criticism, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said reparations to former colonies were already being made through “expanding” Portugal’s cooperation with those countries.