12/02/2009 00:00
TW
0

INDEPENDENT Majorcan party, Entesa made it clear yesterday that although it was very happy to see press reports that 40'000 NATO personnel holidayed at the Spanish air base in the Port of Pollensa, it would prefer to see evidence that the base was of strategic military importance rather than a vacation spa. “We know, of course, that the base at the Port of Pollensa is exceptional from a scenic point of view and that it has already ceased to be of major operational significance for the military - perhaps it should now be considered as installations that could be handed over to the public at large. In this way, everyone - Majorcans and visitors alike - would be able to enjoy the beach, the seafront walkway and the accommodation.

Miquel Angel Sureda, spokesman for the United Left in Pollensa said yesterday that his, and other like-minded groups, were working towards meeting the military halfway over the facilities at the air base. “That way,” he suggested, “the visit by 40'000 NATO personnel doesn't have to be incompatible with public enjoyment.” Central government in Spain is, however, not ready to hand over the air base to the public, describing it last year at a vote on the issue in Parliament as being of “strategic importance.”