Portugal: Visit by ICRC president
11-03-2004 News Release 04/22
Geneva (ICRC) – During a two-day official visit to Portugal starting on 11 March, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, will meet with the head of state, Jorge Sampaio, the minister of foreign affairs and Portuguese communities, Teresa Gouveia, and the minister of state and defence, Paulo Portas.
Mr Kellenberger will also hold talks with the president of the Portuguese Red Cross, José Luis Nogueira de Brito.The discussions will focus on the humanitarian situation in areas where the ICRC is carrying out major operations and that are of particular interest to Portugal, and on the main challenges facing humanitarian action today. They will also touch on the ICRC's joint campaign with the Union of European Football Associations to raise public awareness of the plight of children affected by armed conflicts. The European football championship to be held in Portugal in June 2004 will be used as a platform for this campaign.
For more information, please contact:
Antonella Notari, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 22 82 - ++41 79 217 32 80