Newspaper
Pregon
San
Salvador de Jujuy – Tuesday, March 21, 2006
YESTERDAY,
IN A PROTOCOL VISIT
Governor welcomed Palestine Ambassador (view)
Governor Eduardo Fellner welcomed the Palestine Ambassador, Suhail Hani Daher Akel, yesterday morning. They had a meeting at the Fascio Hall in the Government House. Enrique Reale, a General Secretary of the Buenos Aires-based Argentine Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, also took part in the meeting.
After his arrival at the governmental building, the Diplomat visited the Flag Hall where he signed the Gold Book, which is reserved for illustrious visitors, after a guided tour by the protocol and ceremonial staff. Later on, Fellner welcomed the Diplomat and they approached several topical issues.
After the meeting, the Ambassador said that the Governor received the greeting and gratitude of the Palestinian people and leadership and the President of the Palestine National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, for the retinue’s welcome.
He also added that they referred to issues which are inherent in the bilateral relations between the countries and he emphasised that there is a strong Argentine Arab community in Jujuy. He said that the Provincial Government and his country regard all arrangements made for the approximation of the inhabitants from both countries as positive.
He said that in Argentina there are around three and a half million Argentines who are descendants from Arabs. That is, 10 per cent of the population. He also added that that community gave rise to great men in Argentine science, medicine and state sector.
Finally, he said that he leaves a message of love, peace and tranquillity for the people from Jujuy. Later on, he added that our freedom droves his country to continue looking for that valuable right.
Perico City Mayor, Rolando Ficoseco; the President of the Syrian Lebanese Society; the President of the Jujuy Islamic Centre and a plastic artist who painted an image of Jujuy at the governmental headquarters in Palestine were part of the delegation which visited the Governor.
Photo: Governor Fellner and the Palestinian Ambassador approached several topical issues.
“OLIVE
TREE FOR PEACE”
Daher Akel at the city hall
The Ambassador of th Palestine State, Suhail Hani Daher Akel, who is now visiting our province, paid a visit to the Mayor of San Salvador de Jujuy, Jose Luis Martiarena, at the local city hall. Later on, both of them went to Belgrano Square where they symbolically planted the thirtieth-third Olive Tree “for Peace” as “a symbol of that nation’s culture, life and freedom”.
During the protocol ceremony which took place at the Mayors’ Hall, Martiarena gave the Palestinian Diplomat a decree which declares him Guess of Honor in our city, in acknowledgement of the important mission he is carrying out all over the world praising openly a peace and unity message among people.
“This is the strengthening of those excellent existent relationships between Argentina and Palestine. I want to publicly highlight his prominent trajectory in diplomacy. In name of the people from San Salvador de Jujuy, I would like to express our words of affection for you and I would like to express our sincere recognition for those many men and women who have immigrated from your Palestinian people. A long time ago, these immigrants arrived in our country, our province, our capital city and the rest of the province in order to work and share –day after day- this effort to build the great Argentina we dream of”, Martiarena emphasized when he welcomed him.
The San Salvador de Jujuy city Mayor was accompanied by the secretaries of the Municipal Executive; authorities from the Syrian Lebanese Society and Perico city Mayor, Engineer Rolando Ficoseco.
Suhail Hani Daher Akel expressed his country’s words of affection for the Argentine people, emphasizing “his pride of being able to plant this new olive tree in San Salvador de Jujuy. This is going to be the thirtieth-third Olive Tree for Peace: the age of Jesus Christ; the age of Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace; the age of Jesus Christ, the Savior; the age of Jesus Christ, the Palestinian. Therefore, we have felt proud of being here and feeling the warmth of its people and government since the first minute I arrived in this land. I see similarities between its people and my people in their behavior, human quality, complexion, looks, eyes and in the affection each of you has shown me”. After the protocol ceremony, the authorities went to Belgrano Square where they unveiled a commemorative plaque which supports this gesture of expressing world peace through the olive tree.
The Olive Tree plantation ceremony was carried out by the Mayor Martiarena, and the Palestinian Ambassador, together with the presence of San Salvador de Jujuy Municipality’ Secretaries: Government Secretary, Edgardo Sosa; Secretary of Finance, Cecilia Panire; Planing and Development Secretary, Ricardo Mamani; Public Works Secretary, Juan Carlos Martinez.
Photo 1: Presents at the city hall.
Photo
2: The Olive Tree for Peace at Belgrano Square