"SUMMARY: IN RECENT INTERVIEWS AZOREAN DEPUTIES
NATALINO VIVEIROS (PPD) AND JAIME GAMA (PS) EXPRESSED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES
OF OPINION OVER NEXT STEPS ON AZOREAN STATUTE OF AUTONOMY. END SUMMARY.
1. IN INTERVIEWS PUBLISHED
FEB 25 IN CENTER-LEFT "DIARIO DE NOTICIAS," AZOREAN CONSTITUENT
ASSEMBLY DELEGATES NATALINO VIVEIROS (PPD) AND JAIME GAMA (PS) EXPRESSED
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION OVER NEXT STEPS ON AZOREAN STATUTE OF
AUTONOMY (REFTEL).
2. VIVEIROS: VIVEIROS WAS
EMPHATIC IN ASSERTING THAT REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL (RC) SHOULD APPROVE STATUTE
IMMEDIATELY, THEREBY GIVING IT "CONSTITUTIONAL FORCE." HE ADMITTED
THAT IT MIGHT "APPEAR STRANGE" FOR RC TO APPROVE STATUTE PRIOR TO
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY'S FIRST HAVING SET FORTH GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF AUTONOMY.
HE CLAIMED, HOWEVER, THAT "GENERAL CONSENSUS" ALREADY EXISTED ON
THESE PRINCIPLES, THAT STATUTE HAD BEEN DRAFTED WITH AN EYE TOWARD AVOIDING
CONTRADICTIONS WITH PRIN- CIPLES, AND THAT RC APPROVAL OF STATUTE AT THIS TIME
WOULD NOT REALLY PRECEDE, BUT BE "SIMULTANEOUS WITH" ASSEMBLY'S
ACTION ON AUTONOMY. FINALLY, VIVEIROS WARNED, "NORMALITY" OF ISLAND
POLITICAL LIFE DEPENDED ON IMMED- IATE APPROVAL OF STATUTE, WHICH WOULD ALLOW ISLANDS
TO "ESCAPE THE ECONOMIC CHAOS OF THE CONTINENT."
3. GAMA: GAMA, SPEAKING FOR
SOCIALIST PARTY, TOOK A DIFFERENT VIEW. HE EXPRESSED DOUBT THAT THE RC WOULD,
ON THE EVE OF SIGNING A PACT BY WHICH IT WOULD "ABDICATE" LEGISLATIVE
AUTHORITY IN NON-MILITARY MATTERS, CONSIDER ITSELF AUTHORIZED TO APPROVE AS A
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW A STATUTE WHICH, ACCORDING TO GAMA, LACKED THE UNANIMOUS
SUPPORT EVEN OF THE AZOREAN COMMISSION WHICH DRAFTED IT. IMMEDIATE RC APPROVAL
UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, HE SAID, WOULD CONSTITUTE A SERIOUS BLOW TO
"DEMOCRATIC LEGALITY." GAMA, WHO HEADS ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE CHARGED
WITH DRAFTING AUTONOMY PROVISIONS FOR AZORES AND MADEIRA, TERMED THE PPD AND
CDS-BACKED ATTEMPT TO PUSH THROUGH RC APPROVAL OF STATUTE ON THE EVE OF
ASSEMBLY'S DEBATE ON AUTONOMY A "MANEUVER" COINCIDING WITH INTERESTS
OF THE SEPARATIST AZOREAN LIBERATION FRONT. GAMA STATED THAT PRIOR TO APPROVAL
OF ANY SPECIFIC STATUTE, ASSEMBLY SHOULD DELINEATE THE BROAD TERMS OF ISLAND
AUTONOMY. SUBSEQUENTLY, REGIONAL ASSEMBLIES OF AZORES AND MADEIRA COULD DRAFT
THEIR OWN STATUTES FOR APPROVAL AS ORDINARY LAW BY LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
4. COMMENT: ALTHOUGH GAMA'S
POSITION MAY BE THE SOUNDER FROM A LEGAL AND PROCEDURAL POINT OF VIEW,
VIVEIROS'S ARGUMENTS ARE DEFINITELY MORE IN TUNE WITH PREVAILING SENTIMENTS IN
THE AZORES.
CARLUCCI
CONFIDENTIAL"
