(22 June 2006)The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today (Lisbon time) continued on the second leg of his European visit, to Portugal. This morning he met with the President of Portugal, Mr Aníbal Cavaco Silva, and attended a luncheon hosted by Mr Silva. In the afternoon, he met Portugal’s Prime Minister, Mr. José Sócrates, and the Minister of Education, Ms Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues. Mr Ho said after the meetings that the Portuguese President and the Prime Minister both emphasised the importance of Sino-Portuguese relations and the links between Macao and Portugal forged by their history. He said that both sides had expressed the will to capitalise on Macao’s mediating role between China and Portugal, and help Portuguese entrepreneurs to enter the China market. Ho said he believed after the current visit that both Macao and Portugal would be more active in making the best out of Macao’s special role. Concerning the plan for an event to be held jointly by China and the European Union in Macao in 2007, Mr Ho said that activity would highlight Macao’s mediating role. He said the SAR Government would make policies that could strengthen Macao’s link with Portuguese-speaking countries and some European countries through the ties with Portugal. On the meeting with Ms Rodrigues, Mr Ho said both sides had agreed on some principles about the Portuguese School in Macao: the SAR Government was concerned about the rebuilding of the school and would co-operate with is best effort. He said the SAR Government would ensure sure that the location of the new school building would not cause traffic inconvenience or contradict with the Government’s cultural and heritage policy, or posed a threat to Macao’s World Heritage sites.
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