Lajes Base Row Escalates: Montenegro Defends US Use of Azores Base in Parliament, Cautions Judiciary Over Politics
LISBON — Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro argued in parliament on Friday, October 9, that the US use of the Lajes Air Base during the Iran conflict was fully legal, and urged the judiciary not to make political judgments, Reuters reported. Prosecutors opened an inquiry last week into the government's authorisation for the use of the base.
Lajes is located in the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic. The probe, triggered by a complaint from a leftist opposition party, adds a legal dimension to a politically sensitive issue: Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland have all restricted or refused US military aircraft access to their airspace or bases in connection with the war in Iran, while Portugal's left-wing opposition has criticised the centre-right minority government for allowing US transit flights to use Lajes.
Montenegro told lawmakers that everyone can make political judgments about decisions, 'with the exception of the judiciary, which should not make political judgments'. He said he respected the investigation and was 'very calm as regards compliance with all applicable legal rules'. The debate came a day after he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Lisbon; on October 7, demonstrators including the Portuguese Communist Party had protested Rubio's visit in the capital.
The government's position is that Portugal was not involved in the conflict and that the use of Lajes complied with international law, having been authorised only after Washington assured that any operation would be defensive, necessary and proportionate, and limited to military targets. Portuguese prosecutors are bound by the principle of legality, requiring them to investigate alleged wrongdoing when there are sufficient grounds.
Sources: Compiled from Reuters (October 9) and International Communist Press coverage of the Lisbon protest.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 亚速尔群岛拉日什基地，一架美军B-2轰炸机抵达，公共领域（Wikimedia Commons）
