Leaders of Portuguese speaking nations sign two agreements on first day of summit

July 26, 2004 5:27pm Associated Press WorldStream

SAO TOME, Sao Tome and Principe_The leaders of eight Portuguese-speaking countries signed agreements Monday on a campaign against malaria and on the preservation of the Portuguese language.

On the first day of a two-day summit in Sao Tome and Principe, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries also considered the integration of Spanish-speaking country _ Equatorial Guinea _ in the community as an observer.

No details of the agreements were available immediately.

The leaders will meet again Tuesday to discuss more than 40 other projects including the fight against AIDS, the training of public administration staff in Mozambique _ estimated to cost US$4 million _ and business development plans for Angola worth US$3 dollars.

The two-day meeting brings together presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, Fradique de Menezes of Sao Tome and Principe, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Xanana Gusmao of East Timor, Henrique Rosa of Guinea Bissau, and prime ministers Jose Maria Neves of Cape Verde, and Fernando da Piedade Nando of Angola.

During the opening speech, Brazilian President and community president Lula da Silva underlined Brazil's support in the fight against AIDS in Sao Tome and in Mozambique. Brazil's aid to Sao Tome is currently worth US$500.000 dollars.

As he handed over the presidency of CPLP to Sao Tome and Principe President Fradique de Menezez, Lula da Silva wished him well.

The leaders also signed the community's budget for the following year, worth 1 million euros.

It's the first time that Sao Tome and Principe, a small former Portuguese island colony of 140,000 inhabitants, is holding a summit of heads of government and state from the CPLP.

The last CPLP meeting took place in 2002 in Brasilia, Brazil.

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