Prime minister Luís Montenegro has today stopped short of condemning the attack launched on Iran by the United States and Israel, stressing that Portugal’s first priority right now is the well-being of nationals caught up in the ensuring escalation of conflict.
The fortnightly debate in parliament today saw left-wingers trying to get a handle on the government’s appreciation of whether or not the Epic Fury attack was launched with respect for international law. They got a very politically correct answer:
“Portugal has a very healthy tradition of broad consensus in foreign policy matters regarding the political representation of the Portuguese people in this chamber. It is a position based on respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, Portugal’s role in the world and nine centuries of history in which we have been bridge builders. It is therefore not surprising that the Portuguese state advocates diplomacy and negotiation as a means of ensuring international peace. Within the context of peace, together with our allies, we have a relationship that is often rooted in solidarity and the need for deterrent actions.
“I would therefore like to say that, although there was military action by the U.S., Portugal did not participate in, endorse or become involved in that military action (…) Between a conflict involving an ally and partner of Portugal, a member of NATO with whom we have a very extensive relationship, and another country involved that repeatedly violates international law, has an ongoing nuclear programme, with long-range ballistic missiles, there is no doubt that Portugal has a much closer relationship with our ally, the United States – I want to make that very clear,” he added.
The government’s ‘priority concern’ at the moment, said the PM “is the protection and security of Portuguese who live or find themselves” in the Middle East. To this end efforts are being made at contact/ gathering information.
“We already have repatriation operations underway, which are currently taking place and which, naturally, cannot be fully publicised for security reasons,” he said.
The government has also called an extraordinary meeting of the Security Coordination Office to reinforce internal security measures. Measures that, according to Luís Montenegro, relate “to strengthening the security of critical infrastructure, airports, ports and embassies.
“We also held an interministerial meeting to analyse the economic and financial impact and anticipate some risks and even some measures that are necessary on this occasion,’ he added.
The debate continued with left wingers less than mollified – Bloco de Esquerda Fabian Figueiredo even accusing the prime minister of “whitewashing war crimes” and “washing his hands of the bombing of civilian targets”.
Source material: LUSA/ SIC Notícias/ Diário de Notícias
