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world news Diasabra 11 september 2021

Jorge Sampaio, former president of Portugal, dies at 81

(AP) — Jorge Sampaio, a tor. ernment in-fighting, public
former two-term presi- gaffes and contradictions,
dent of Portugal and one Prime Minister António Cos- Sampaio called early elec-
of the most prominent po- ta praised Sampaio as an up- tions to end what he called “a
litical figures of his gener- standing politician who de- grave crisis of credibility and
ation, has died. He was 81. fended democracy. “We bow instability.”
down before the memory
The current Portuguese of a man who always fought The subsequent election de-
president, Marcelo Rebelo de for freedom, for democracy, livered a landslide victory to
Sousa, announced Sampaio’s and whose moral upright- the center-left Socialist Party,
death on Friday. He did not ness brought prestige to our which Sampaio had once
give a cause of death, though country’s political life,” said headed.
Sampaio had been in delicate Costa.
health for several years and Sampaio began his political
had been in hospital for the He said Portugal would ob- career while studying law
past two weeks. serve three days of national at Lisbon University in the
mourning, when Portuguese late 1950s, rising through the
Sampaio “prepared himself flags on public buildings fly ranks of underground stu- when he was eight as his fa-
to be a fighter, and the ban- at half-staff, from Saturday. dent movements which op- ther, a renowned Portuguese His two-term stint as mayor
ners of his fight were free- Funeral details were to be an- posed the then dictatorship doctor, went to study at Johns of the Portuguese capital pro-
dom and equality,” Rebelo de nounced later. of António Salazar. Hopkins University in Balti- vided a stage for his election
Sousa said in a televised state- more, Pa.. as president in 1996 and his
ment. At home, Sampaio was per- After graduating, he defend- re-election in 2001, winning
haps best remembered for ed prisoners tried by special Sampaio, whose mother was both elections by comfort-
He said Sampaio was like “a controversially bringing courts that dealt exclusively an English teacher, also spent able margins.
red-haired hurricane” in the down a center-right govern- with political cases. time in England as a young-
1960s when as a young law- ment in 2004, when he was ster. United Nations Secretary-
yer he stood up to Portugal’s head of state. He associated with extreme General Kofi Annan ap-
then-dictatorship. leftist movements after the He switched his allegiance pointed Sampaio as his spe-
That was when Social Demo- 1974 Carnation Revolution to the mainstream Socialist cial envoy on tuberculosis
But over his six-decade po- cratic Party leader José Man- toppled the dictatorship and Party in 1978 and from the in 2006. The following year,
litical career in Portugal as a uel Barroso quit as prime introduced democracy. following year was returned Annan’s successor Ban Ki-
center-left Socialist and later minister to become president five times to parliament as a moon made him the U.N.
as a diplomat for the United of the European Commis- He took up his first govern- Socialist lawmaker. High Representative for the
Nations, Sampaio earned sion. He was replaced by his ment post, as secretary of Alliance of Civilizations.
praise for his low-key, down- party’s vice president, Pedro state for foreign coopera- Sampaio ran successfully for
to-earth manner. He once Santana Lopes. tion, in 1975. He was fluent mayor of Lisbon, the capital, Sampaio is survived by his
said he had always wanted to in English, having lived for in 1989, when he also became wife, a daughter and a son.
become an orchestra conduc- After several months of gov- a year in the United States leader of the Socialist Party.

Biden calls Xi as US-China relationship grows more fraught

(AP) — President Joe dling of the coronavirus pan- back against U.S. pressure isfied with early engagements jin for climate talks with his
Biden spoke with China’s demic and what the White and increasingly has suggest- with the Chinese. Chinese counterparts, by
Xi Jinping on Thursday House has labeled as “coer- ed it could remain broadly video link that such coop-
amid growing frustration cive and unfair” trade prac- uncooperative until Biden The official, who was not eration cannot be separated
on the American side that tices by the Chinese. dials down criticism on what authorized to comment pub- from the broader relationship
high-level engagement it deems Chinese internal licly and spoke on the condi- and called on the U.S. to take
between the two lead- But Biden’s aim with the matters. tion of anonymity, said White steps to improve ties, accord-
ers’ top advisers has been 90-minute call was less fo- House officials were hopeful ing to the Foreign Ministry.
largely unfruitful in the cused on any of those hot- Xi in the call appeared to echo that Xi hearing directly from
early going of the Biden button issues and instead some of the complaints, tell- Biden could prove beneficial. In July, Deputy Secretary of
presidency. centered on discussing the ing Biden that U.S. govern- State Wendy Sherman faced
way ahead for the U.S.-Chi- ment policy toward China The White House official said a long list of demands and
Biden initiated the call with na relationship after it got off caused “serious difficulties” Biden made clear to Xi that complaints, including accu-
Xi, the second between the to a decidedly rocky start in in relations, the official Xin- he had no intention of mov- sations that the U.S. was try-
two leaders since Biden took his tenure. hua News Agency reported. ing away from his adminis- ing to contain and suppress
office. It comes at a moment tration’s policy of pressing China’s development. Vice
when there is no shortage of The White House said in a “This is not in the basic inter- China on human rights, trade Foreign Minister Xie Feng
thorny issues between the statement the “two leaders ests of the two peoples,” the and other areas where it be- urged the U.S. “to change
two nations, including cyber- had a broad, strategic discus- Chinese leader said, accord- lieves China is acting outside its highly misguided mindset
security breaches originating sion in which they discussed ing to Xinhua. international norms. and dangerous policy.”
from China, Beijing’s han- areas where our interests
converge, and areas where “Chinese-U.S. confrontation High-level engagement in In March, Secretary of State
our interests, values, and per- will bring disaster to both the early going has been most Antony Blinken and White
spectives diverge.” countries and the world,” Xi notable for each side blasting House national security ad-
added. the other with recrimina- viser Jake Sullivan had heat-
The White House is hope- tions. ed exchanges with Chinese
ful the two sides can work Xi said the two sides should Communist Party foreign
together on issues of mutual cooperate on climate change, Last week, Chinese Foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi when
concern —including climate epidemic prevention, eco- Minister Wang Yi warned they met with top Chinese
change and preventing a nomic recovery and other is- Biden climate envoy John officials in Anchorage. At that
nuclear crisis on the Korean sues, Xinhua reported. Kerry that deteriorating meeting, Yang accused the
Peninsula — despite growing U.S.-China relations could U.S. of failing to deal with its
differences. Ahead of the call, a senior ad- undermine cooperation on own human rights problems
ministration official said the climate change. Wang told and took issue with what he
Beijing, however, has pushed White House has been unsat- Kerry, who was visiting Tian- said was American hypocrisy.