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OLIVENÇA INTERNATIONAL DISPUTE Forum Olivença Manifesto Portugal OlivencaOnline Informação Olivença Campanha por Olivença Imigrantes 14/Mar/2003 Press Release - "Grupo dos Amigos de Olivença" ("Friends of Olivença") Spanish Intervention at the Ajuda Bridge, a Portuguese Heritage Monument of Public Interest Everything indicates that the Spanish authorities have started preparations for carrying out work on the Ajuda Bridge, over the Guadiana, a Portuguese Heritage site and classified as a National Monument of Public Interest, on the Olivença border area. In fact, next to the bridge on the east bank of the river, there have now been set up the usual storage facilities for such circumstances, and ground levelling work has already been done and we have been able to observe a great bustle of workmen and machinery. Such work, as we know, depends on a favourable issue by the Portuguese Administration IPPAR, still under a contentious judicial review instigated by this Association, in which an injunction was declared that banned the issue of authorization to the Spaniards. Therefore, either the Portuguese Administration has issued, illegally, the referred authorization, innapropriately, to start the work, or the Spanish authorities, dispensing with the authorization previously needed from our country, in an affront to legality and contrary to the actual "agreement" reached, on 12 January 2000, in the "Mixed Technical Commission between Portugal and Spain for accesses south of the Douro", and practising. therefore, a surprising act of obvious hostility towards Portugal. Representing many Portuguese citizens concerned with the Portuguese Rights over Olivença, with the conviction that the necessary measures will be taken to defend Portuguese sovereignty and to maintain the legality and the rights, and even that public opinion remain tranquil and confident in its government, the "Grupo dos Amigos de Olivença" has already denounced the situation in progress, to the relevant authorities, requesting that public information be given as to the appropriate measures taken to respect or restore legality. The "Grupo dos Amigos de Olivença", though hoping, that all may be just a misunderstanding, invites all Portuguese citizens to show their repudiation of such an act of arrogance and hostility and to press the Portuguese Authorities to, swiftly and completely, aportion reponsibilities, and demand that Spain give a satisfactory explanation. Lisbon 12/Mar/2003 Grupo dos Amigos de Olivença