"SUMMARY: ACCORDING TO POPULAR DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADER
JOAO BOSCO MOTA AMARAL, SOON-TO-BE-COMPLETED STATUTE OF AUTONOMY FOR AZORES
WILL ESTABLISH MODIFIED PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR ISLANDS. MOTA
AMARAL WAS PLEASED WITH RESULTS OF NOV 17
ISLAND-WIDE DEMONSTRATIONS
IN SUPPORT OF THE REGIONAL JUNTA AND THE PROGRESS TO DATE OF THE AUTONOMY
MOVEMENT. BARRING A SHARP POLITICAL SHIFT--EITHER TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT-- THE
MODERATE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP WHICH MOTA AMARAL REPRESENTS APPEARS CONTENT TO
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT POLICY OF STRENGTHENING REGIONAL INSTITU- TIONS, WHILE
RESERVING JUDGMENT ON THE ULTIMATE QUESTION OF INDEPENDENCE VERSUS AUTONOMY.
END SUMMARY
1. STATUTE OF AUTONOMY: IN
FRANK CONVERSATION IN PONTA DELGADA NOV 19 WITH CONSUL AND VISITING EMBOFF,
POPULAR DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PPD) LEADER JOAO BOSCO MOTA AMARAL COMMENTED ON
CURRENT AZOREAN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. HE SAID THAT NINE-MEMBER DRAFTING
COMMITTEE, OF WHICH HE WAS PART, HOPED TO FINISH ITS WORK WITHIN A MATTER OF
DAYS ON A COMPREHENSIVE STATUTE OF AUTONOMY FOR THE ISLANDS (REF A). THE
STATUTE WOULD IN EFFECT BE A "CONSTITUTION" FOR THE AZORES. THE TASK
HAD BEEN MADE EASIER BY LIFTING WHOLE SECTIONS FROM THE DRAFT NATIONAL
CONSTITUTION PREPARED PREVIOUSLY BY PPD IN LISBON. AFTER THE STATUTE DRAFT WAS
COMPLETED, IT WOULD BE PUBLISHED AND PUBLIC COMMENTS WOULD BE INVITED. PUBLIC
MEETINGS WOULD BE HELD THROUGHOUT THE ISLANDS, AND THE DRAFT WOULD BE REVISED
TO REFLECT POPULAR SENTIMENTS. THE REVISED STATUTE WOULD THEN BE SUBMITTED TO LISBON
FOR APPROVAL AND PUBLICATION. HE ANTICIPATED NO RESISTANCE IN LISBON.
2. ORGANIZATION OF
AUTONOMOUS GOVERNMENT: THE STATUTE DRAFTING COMMITTEE FAVORED A MODIFIED
PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR THE ISLANDS. IN ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL
ASEEMBLY FOR THE AZORES, THE COMMITTEE WAS CONSIDERING TWO ORGANIZATIONAL
CONCEPTS. UNDER THE FIRST, A BICAMERAL SYSTEM SIMILAR TO THE U.S. MODEL WOULD
BE ADOPTED. ONE CHAMBER WOULD BE BASED UPON POPU- LATION AND THE OTHER WOULD
GIVE EQUAL WEIGHT TO EACH OF THE NINE LISLANDS. UNDER THE SECOND CONCEPT, A
SINGLE CHAMBER WOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITH REPRESENTATION BASED UPON A
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION FORMULA TAKING INTO ACCOUNT BOTH POPULATION AND
GEOGRAPHY. EACH ISLAND WOULD HAVE ONE REPRESENTATIVE PLUS ONE MORE FOR EACH
5,000 IN POPULATION OR PORTION THEREOF. THUS, THE SMALLEST ISLAND, CORVO, WOULD
HAVE THE MINIMUM OF TWO RE- PRESENTATIVES WHILE THE LARGEST, SAN MIGUEL, WOULD
HAVE 17 REPRESENTATIVES. NO SINGLE ISLAND WOULD HAVE ENOUGH REPRESENTA- TIVES
TO GOVERN ALONE. THE DRAFTING COMMITTEE CURRENTLY FAVORED THE UNICAMERAL
APPROACH.
3. EXECUTIVE BRANCH: THE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE WOULD BE SELECTED BY THE ASSEMBLY. MINISTERS, OR MEMBERS OF THE
REGIONAL COUNCIL AS IT WOULD PROBABLY BE CALLED, WOULD BE APPOINTED BY THE
EXECUTIVE. IN SELECTING COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE EXECUTIVE WOULD FOLLOW A FORMULA
WHICH WOULD GUARANTEE SOME REPSENTATION TO EACH OF THE THREE MAJOR ISLAND
GROUPINGS. IN A FURTHER BOW TO INTER-ISLAND RIVALRIES, THE PRINCIPAL
DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT WOULD ALSO BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE
ARCHIPELAGO.
4. LISBON REPRESENTATIVE:
THE NEW REGIONAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BE SUPPORTED BY A LISBON-BASED SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR THE AZORES AND MADEIRA. THIS INDIVIDUAL WOULD BE AN AZOREAN AND HIS
PRIMARY FUNCTION WOULD BE TO REPRESENT THE ISLANDS BEFORE THE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT. HIS FUNCTIONS WOULD RESEMBLE THOSE OF AN "AMBASSADOR" FROM
THE ISLANDS TO THE MAINLAND.
5. LAW-MAKING AUTHORITY: THE
AUTONOMOUS GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED BY THE STATUTE WOULD HAVE LAW-MAKING
AUTHORITY. IN CASES OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAWS PASSED BY THE REGIONAL AND
CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS, A CONFLICT COURT WOULD DECIDE THE MATTER. THE COURT WOULD
BE COMPOSED OF TWO MEMBERS NOMINATED BY THE REGIONAL ASSEMBLY; TWO BY THE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN LISBON; AND ONE DRAWN FROM THE NATIONAL SUPREME COURT.
MOTA AMARAL POINTED OUT THAT THE BODY OF JURISPRUDENCE ESTABLISHED BY DECISIONS
OF THE CONFLICT COURT WOULD HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE "POLITICAL
REALITIES". IF THEY WERE NOT, MOTA AMARAL POINTED OUT, "POLITICAL
REALITIES WOULD INEVITABLY TAKE OVER".
6. EFFORTS TO INCREASE
UNITY: THE STEPS WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TOWARD AUTONOMY--E.G. CREATION
OF REGIONAL JUNTA, DRAFTING OF STATUTE--HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO GREATER UNITY AMONG
THE ISLANDS. THE ISLAND-WIDE DEMONSTRATIONS ON NOV 17 IN FAVOR OF THE REGIONAL
JUNTA (REF B) WERE AN INDICATION OF THIS INCREASED UNITY. BUT, MOTA AMARAL
ADDED, THE DEMONSTRATIONS WERE NOT AS MONOLITHIC AS THEY APPEARED. TRUE, THEY
HAD A SINGLE COMMON THEME--SUPPORT FOR THE JUNTA--BUT THE SECONDARY THEMES HAD
LITTLE IN COMMON. THEY RANGED FROM PARTISAN POLITICAL SLOGANEERING TO SUPPORT
FOR PAROCHIAL CONCERNS. THE PPD WAS THE PRIME MOVER BUT THE AZOREAN LIBERATION
FRONT (FLA) ALSO PLAYED A ROLE. IN TERCEIRA, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PPD LEADERSHIP
HESITATED IN CALLING A DEMONSTRATION, AND THE FLA MOVED IN
AND PREEMPTED THE ACTION.
7. WHO IS THE FLA?: MOTA
AMARAL CONFIRMED THAT PRINCIPAL SUPPORT FOR THE FLA CAME FROM LARGE LAND OWNERS
ON SAN MIGUEL. THE LARGE FARMERS HAVE ALSO ENLISTED A MEASURE OF SUPPORT AMONG
SMALLER LAND HOLDERS. MOTA AMARAL SAID THE FLA ENJOYED SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT
AMONG AZOREANS IN THE ISLANDS' ARMY GARRISON AS WELL. THE NOV 17 DEMONSTRATION
POINTED UP DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE FLA. WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE ISSUE OF
AUTONOMY VERSUS INDEPENDENCE, THEY WEREN'T SURE WHAT THEY WANTED. DESPITE ITS
OBVIOUS SHORTCOMINGS, HOWEVER, THE FLA HAS BEEN A USEFUL TOOL WITH WHICH TO
PRESSURE THE LISBON GOVERNMENT TO GIVE THE AZOREANS MORE EQUITABLE TREATMENT.
8. BASE NEGOTIATIONS: MOTA
AMARAL STRESSED THAT AZOREANS MUST PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN ANY FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS
OF BASE RIGHTS AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNITED STATES. HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT OF PORTUGAL
ALREADY UNDERSTOOD THIS.
9. COMMENT: MOTA AMARAL WAS
OBVIOUSLY PLEASE WITH BOTH THE RE- SULTS OF THE NOV 17 DEMONSTRATIONS AND THE
OVERALL PROGRESS MADE TO DATE BY THE AUTONOMY MOVEMENT. HE APPEARED CONFIDENT
THAT THE "MODERATE ELEMENTS" WHICH HE REPRESENTED, WERE IN CONTROL OF
THE SITUATION. BARRING A SHARP POLITICAL SHIFT ON THE MAINLAND- EITHER TO THE
LEFT OR RIGHT--THE ISLANDS' MODERATE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP APPEARS CONTENT TO
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT POLICY OF STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS OF REGIONAL AUTONOMY,
WHILE RESERVING POSITION ON ULTIMATE QUESTION OF INDEPENDENCE VS. AUTONOMY.
CARLUCCI
CONFIDENTIAL"
