Francisco Alegre Duarte was this morning at the Dr. António Agostinho Neto, where the public funeral of the former head of state takes place, along with other members of the diplomatic corps to leave their message in the condolence book.
"In this hour of national mourning, I express my heartfelt condolences to the Government of Angola and to the entire Angolan people," wrote the diplomat, highlighting the role of President José Eduardo dos Santos "in the consolidation of independence and national unity of Angola, in a very difficult geopolitical context" and its leadership in achieving peace and reconciliation among all Angolans "after a devastating war".
Francisco Alegre Duarte also highlighted the former president's commitment to establishing and deepening cooperation relations with Portugal, in bilateral terms, within the framework of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).
"Together we have come a long way, until we reach the current point of excellence in relations between two countries and friendly peoples, united by fraternity, a design to which the leadership and vision of President João Lourenço have contributed a lot", he also wrote.
The Memorial where the remains of the first President, António Agostinho Neto, lie, was the place chosen in Luanda so that Angolans could pay tribute to his successor in office and who ruled the country for almost 40 years.
The Government created, in all provinces, spaces for public funerals for interested citizens, while in Barcelona there is a legal dispute with part of the family regarding the delivery of the body and funeral ceremonies.
On the one hand, there are Tchizé dos Santos and his older brothers, who refuse to celebrate funerals in Angola, where they have not been for several years, since their father's successor, João Lourenço, took office in 2017, starting a fight against corruption that affected the eldest daughter, Isabel dos Santos, and the son "Zenu".
On the other hand, there is the widow and mother of three of José Eduardo dos Santos' children, Ana Paula dos Santos, who had been estranged from her husband for some years, reappearing at his side in recent months, and who was the interlocutor of the Angolan Government when he was admitted to the clinic in Barcelona, where he died on Friday.
The Government declared that it intends to hold a state funeral in Luanda, but the decision has the vehement opposition of his daughter Tchizé dos Santos, stating that this was not his father's will, and that José Eduardo dos Santos did not want to be buried in Angola while João Lourenço is in power.
The judicial decision on the delivery of the former Angolan President's body should be taken this week by the Spanish justice, after the result of the autopsy has already been communicated to the family.
