Portugal authorised the United States to use the Lajes Air Base in the Azores, but only after being informed of a military intervention and subject to specific conditions, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel has revealed in an interview with CNN Portugal.
According to the minister, up until Friday the 27th February, meaning prior to any action taken against Iran, all movements of US aircraft had been authorised under the general framework set out in the pre-established Decree-Law 2/2017, which regulates overflights and landings
Rangel drew a clear distinction between the pre-established agreement prior to US military action that took place over the weekend, and the required authorisation given after action had begun. “I am astonished by the controversy that has been fuelled. There are two entirely different situations. One concerns the period up to Friday, before the attack; the other concerns the situation after Friday, when this military intervention began,” he added.
The situation changed, he explained, once the United States communicated that an intervention had taken place. From that point, the conditions of a bilateral agreement governing the Lajes base came into question, and the Portuguese government decided to issue a conditional authorisation for any potential use of the facility.
That authorisation is subject to three criteria: that the base be used solely in response to an attack (retaliation or defence), that any action comply with the principles of necessity and proportionality, and that it be limited strictly to military targets. According to the minister, all criteria were met.
“The Lajes agreement itself provides that, outside NATO operations or operations conducted by international organisations, authorisation may be granted. We are dealing with a scenario that was foreseen. In such cases, prior authorisation is required,” the minister said, noting that he had consulted the President of the Republic, the President-elect, and the three main opposition leaders.
“Late on Saturday, a conditional authorisation was issued, with conditions attached. The first is that it must be a response, the defensive, retaliatory concept. It must also meet the principles of necessity and proportionality. And it may target only military objectives. We drew these three criteria from international law. It must be defensive; it cannot be something that initiates hostilities. It must be necessary and proportionate, and it may only target military objectives,” Rangel clarified.
The minister insisted that Portugal had not taken part in any offensive operation and that no assets departed from the Azores to join the strikes already carried out. He further stressed that the country “is not involved in the conflict” and that Portugal’s position has been to advocate restraint and a return to negotiations, in line with the majority of its European Union partners.
Asked whether the government had assessed compliance with the three conditions imposed by Lisbon in the first hours of the operation, Rangel replied that “that is not the issue, because this concerns the future, not what has already happened”, maintaining that Portugal’s authorisation was granted only after military action had begun.
Source: JN
