Portuguese Premier Faces Censure Motion

Associated Press ^ | Paul Ames

[witnesstothefall]

LISBON, Portugal, Mar 17, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Portugal's prime minister will face a censure motion in parliament over his strong pro-American stance while hosting the Azores summit on Iraq, the main opposition party said Monday.

The Socialist Party said it was "illegitimate to link Portugal to a war that breaks international law."

Jose Manuel Durao Barroso's center-right coalition has a slim majority in parliament and is likely to survive any censure vote, but the opposition's challenge represents another sign of deep discontent in Portugal over the government's decision to line up with United States over the Iraq crisis.

"The prime minister should not collaborate with an escalation against the will of the international community," said Socialist leader Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues. "The government is involving the country in a war that the Portuguese don't agree with," he added, referring to public opinion firmly opposed to military action to disarm Saddam Hussein.

Around 300 anti-war protesters gathered outside the prime minister's residence until early Monday awaiting Durao Barroso to return from the Azores summit.

The opposition also said it would ask parliament to review U.S. use of Lajes air base, where the summit was held Sunday and which has served a staging post for U.S. planes headed for the Gulf.

Despite the slim chances of such a motion gaining approval, concern is mounting in this country of 10 million that the government's pro-US position has put Portugal at odds with powerful EU nations like France and Germany.

The newspaper Publico has cautioned that antagonism with Paris and Berlin could jeopardize the billions of dollars in aid from the European bloc, which has been vital in building up Portugal's economy since it joined the European Union in 1986.

[witnesstothefall]

I notice how when support for the Coalition of the Willing pops up, commies come out of the woodwork howling for blood. Curious phenomenon.

[Red Dog #1]

A very wise person once said that you could know someone by his or her enemies.

[SamAdams76]

It was commies and socialists who kept appeasing Hitler during the build-up to WW2. Nothing's changed here.

[dasboot]

Portugal had problems with its own version of Saddam Lite back when Salazar was Maximum Leader: a lot of the Portuguese immigrants to the US, including some my mother's relatives, have the dubious distinction of having had their loved ones 'disappear' for criticizing his authoritarian government back in the 60's.(?) Among these come-overers, sentiment is strong for toppling Saddam. They recognize the type.

Portuguese socialists have short memories, or have been waiting for the opportunity to get their old jobs back.

[xm177e2]

Yup--Hitler and Stalin signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, so the commies were very anti-war. As soon as Hitler invaded Soviet Russia, it was "The Motherland is under attack! We must go to war against Hitler today!" and they supported going to war even when most of the country was isolationist.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I would ask these Clymers why they want to sign on to an effort (The anti good guys) that is almost 100% doomed to fail.

[SamAdams76]

You need to read your history some more. The German-Russian Pact was an act of appeasement on the part of the Soviets. These two countries were arch enemies yet Stalin still signed the agreement because he did not want to join with England and France in an alliance that would have forced Russia to fight Hitler. This is but one example of appeasement leading up to WW2 by socialists and communists.

Prior to that, France was willing to hand over entire countries (i.e. Czechoslovakia) in order to gain peace for themselves. By the time Germany came for them, they had very few allies left. (France had plenty of socialists and communists at that time and so did England, who also appeased Hitler time after time.)