Spain allows permanent US military presence, triple force
Spain has agreed to a deal which authorizes the US military presence at the country’s southwestern Morón Airbase permanently with as many as 3,000 troops, triple the size of the current deployment.
Signing the military agreement, which was approved by the Spanish government on Friday, is the top agenda of a Sunday visit to Madrid by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is also scheduled to meet with King Felipe, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo.
According to the deal, the US military can now boost the number of its service members at Morón from the current 850 troops to 3,000 troops, with 2,200 US Marines due to arrive at the airbase shortly. This is while the number of military aircraft stationed at the base will also increase from 14 to 40.
Additionally, the military accord includes a US pledge to invest $29 million into the development of the military facility, according to the local daily El Pais.
Speaking on the military deal at a Friday press conference in Madrid, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria claimed that the move would contribute to the stability of Africa as well as Europe and the Middle East.
Santamaria added the US Marines stationed in Spain are expected to protect American embassies in the region, perform rescue missions, and intervene in regional conflicts and humanitarian crises.
She further asserted that American investment in the Morón Airbase would improve the economy of the region. The base, she noted, is to remain a Spanish territory, so all US unilateral missions from the base would require Spanish permission.
Originally, the bilateral deal regarding the US military presence at the base was signed back in 1988 and accords authorizing American presence at the military facility have been renewed on an annual basis.
According to local press reports, there were initially no American troops stationed at the Morón Airbase, but following a deadly attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012, which led to the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stephens and three CIA operatives, US troops were allowed to the base in April 2013.
MFB/NT/AS
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