Spain: Nailing Down The Bases

Nailing Down The Bases

After some two years of bargaining, the U.S. and Spain last week finally reached an agreement extending the U.S. lease on four military bases on Spanish soil. Under the accord worked out by U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Spanish Foreign Minister Francisco Fernandez Ordonez, the U.S. retains access to the bases for eight years. The current pact expired in May.

A major sticking point was Spain's insistence that the U.S. be prohibited from bringing nuclear arms onto Spanish territory; Washington refuses to disclose whether its ships or aircraft carry nuclear weapons. The deadlock was finally broken when Spain tacitly...

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