THROUGH a statement on East Timor was softened during the summit, the territory's former Colonial power, Portugal, welcomed the Council's unexpected reaffirmation of EU efforts to find a solution to the problem of Indonesia's 21-year illegal occupation.
The Portuguese Prime Minister, Mr Antonio Guterres, found the EMU stability agreement "very satisfying" but it was the East Timor statement that engaged the emotions of Lisbon's delegation and journalists.
Even the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign was in a more conciliatory mood towards the Irish presidency than in recent weeks. "We congratulate the Tanaiste, Mr Spring," said Mr Tom Hyland, its co-ordinator. Mr Hyland and four young Timorese studying in Dublin were received by the Portuguese Prime Minister during the summit.
A call on the Indonesian government "to adopt early measures to improve the human rights situation in East Timor" was dropped from the final summit conclusions. Instead, the Council welcomed EU initiatives "aimed at improving the situation, living conditions and human rights of the East Timorese people
But one Portuguese journalist said: "The problem will come now with the Dutch", Indonesia's former colonists, who take over the presidency next year.
From Portugal's "narrow national perspective", Mr Guterres expressed satisfaction that the summit statement followed quickly on the Nobel Peace Prize awards to Bishop Ximenes Carlos Belo and Mr Jose Ramos Horta, the expatriate Timorese resistance leader, as well as an EU Foreign Ministers' decision four weeks ago to send aid directly to East Timor through NGOs and the Catholic Church. The hope of the Portuguese was that the summit statement would limit The Hague's scope for being soft on the issue.
Mr Guterres said that the EMU accord was a message of confidence to the markets that the single currency project was here to stay. Portugal is in a better position than Spain in relation to fulfilling the Maastricht criteria on EMU. But the agreement was also favourable for Spain because European leaders were not going to allow a scenario where Portugal would get in and Spain would not, said a Portuguese commentator.
Mr Guterres said Portugal was "very pleased" with the Irish IGC paper and with the council's "third pillar" decision on fighting illicit drugs.
The summit's "solidarity" over the "harmonious" transfer of Macao, Portugal's last Asian colony, to China in 1999 was also appreciated by Mr Guterres. He welcomed the Council's reminder, essentially to China, of the principles of a 1987 agreement on the transfer of "Portugal's Hong Kong".
The mere mention, and acknowledgment, too, of post-colonial responsibilities Portugal has in common with Spain and France - their "ultra-peripheral regions" - were welcomed. In Portugal's case these are the Azores and the Maldives.
Another was a paragraph on support for developing European transport networks of especial relevance to Portugal because of poor road and rail connections with Spain and, therefore, the rest of Europe. The Prime Minister described this initiative as "very welcome".