PORTUGAL: NATO weapons reach Portuguese presidential elections campaign

The three leftist candidates in the Portuguese Presidential elections, to be held next Sunday, have called on President Jorge Sampaio (Socialist Party), who is running for a second term in office, to dismiss the Head of the Portuguese Army after his declarations about the death of a Portuguese soldier in Kosovo. It will be remembered that the Portuguese contingent in Kosovo is stationed in one of the areas most affected by DU (depleted uranium) weapons, used by NATO. The alert was raised by the Belgian and Italian Armed Forces after soldiers started dying, presenting signs of radiation sickness. Now a Portuguese soldier, Corporal Hugo Paulino, has died in suspicious circumstances, due to the secrecy around the military process conducting his autopsy. General Martins Barrento, Head of the Portuguese Army, declared that there was no connection between the deaths and the use of DU weapons and any speculation that there was, was simply political propaganda by antidemocratic forces in Serbia. Further, he declared that the father of the Corporal who died was aiding these antidemocratic forces by insisting on an investigation. The three candidates for the Presidential elections from the leftist parties, Antonio Abreu (Portuguese Communist Party), Fernando Rosas (Left Block) and Garcia Pereira (Portuguese Communist Workers Party) immediately attacked the general, demanding that either he should resign or that President Sampaio should demand his resignation. Antonio Abreu (PCP) stated that the general’s comments were intended to “hide a real problem” which is the use of DU weapons in Kosovo. Fernando Rosas (Left Block) stated that general Martins Barrento showed “irresponsibility” and “incapacity” in the case and that “the attitude of secrecy and hiding the question from public opinion” by the military forces and by the government is deplorable. He said it is totally wrong to pretend that there is no danger from radioactivity in Kosovo after tens of young Belgian and Italian soldiers have died. The Portuguese Communist Workers Party’s candidate, Garcia Pereira, declared the general’s remarks “insulting” and “provocatory” and demands that President Sampaio take a position.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey Pravda.Ru Lisbon