The Extremaduran population of Olivenza (Badajoz) has lived for years in pleasant and peaceful coexistence with Portugal. But this weekend the call was revived Olivenza issue (the historic territorial claim that Portugal maintains over the towns of Olivenza and Táliga) after the surprising announcement by the Portuguese Minister of Defense, Nuno Melo, of awaken an old claim to Spain: to hand over Olivenza, right on the border of both countries. The issue has reached none other than the CIA.
“Olivenza is Portuguese, naturally, and it is not a provocation,” he said. Nuno Melo in statements to the media. Melo finished dlinking his statements to the Portuguese Governmentbut insisted on claiming that Olivenza is Portugal, based on the provisions of the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297 between the Crown of Castile and Portugal, by which the municipality passed to the neighboring country, although Olivenza returned to Spanish sovereignty during the War of las Naranjas, with the signing of the Treaty of Badajoz in 1801.
The president of the Government of Extremadura, Maria Guardiolaspoke out this Monday about the controversy, which has defended the “Spanishness” of the Badajoz town of Olivenza: “Of course from Extremadura we are going to continue defending the Spanishness of our town that is Olivenza… there is no room for discussion,” he assured, emphasizing that he does not share the “personal opinion” of the Portuguese Defense Minister.
The CIA, Olivenza and Portugal
The curious thing about this controversy, which dates back so many years, is that the CIA has included it in its famous The World Factbook. The World Factbookalso known as the CIA World Factbookis an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency with basic information about various countries around the world. This report mentions Portugal’s claim to Spain claiming Olivenza. This inclusion has been considered by some Spanish media as a unjustified recognition of the conflict between Spain and Portugal over the sovereignty of Olivenza that the Spanish authorities deny exists.
The inclusion of Olivenza in the aforementioned CIA report shows that the US Intelligence Agency has it classified as an international conflict zonea place that for North American Intelligence is comparable to areas as conflictive as they can be. Kashmir or Gaza.
However, and in defense of Portugal, it is worth remembering that already in 2003, when it was made public The World Factbook of the CIA, the Portuguese Government, through the mouth of its then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Martins da Cruzstated regarding the CIA publication that the Olivenza issue “it is frozen and should not be reopened”ensuring that “the Olivenza problem has been frozen since the Treaty of Vienna of 1815“, rejected by Spain, which refused to cede the territory to Portugal, although it did not rule out that the issue could be resolved “at another time.”
