LISBON, Portugal -- Secretary of State George Shultz today signed a seven-year extension on U.S. use of the Portuguese Lajes air base in the Azores Islands and then left for Washington.
The secretary's plane took off from Portela international airport at 4:25 p.m. (11:25 a.m. EST).
Before leaving, Shultz and Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama signed a new seven-year accord for the use of the Lajes base, a key refueling installation on the Portuguese-owned Azores about 800 miles west of Lisbon.
Shultz, who arrived in Lisbon Monday during an 8-day visit to Europe and north Africa, described the Lajes base as 'very valuable and strategically located.'
Shultz also was scheduled to meet with Socialist Prime Minister Mario Soares for lunch before departing for Washington at 3:20 p.m. EST.
Portuguese government sources said the differences resolved Monday night centered on Lisbon's insistence that the United States agree to a specific list of weapons aid to refurbish the NATO country's armed forces. The arms under debate were not revealed.
The last accord for use of the pivotal refueling and submarine search installations at Lajes expired Feb. 4 but was automatically extended for one year while negotiations continued.
Shultz's 30-hour visit to Portugal was overshadowed by the terrorist bombings Monday against the American Embassy and other targets in Kuwait.
An official in Shultz' party said the bombings were being investigated and indicated Washington had not ruled out retaliatory measures.
Details on the arms wanted by Portugal were not made public.
For the use of the Lajes base, Washington has offered $105 million in military grants and loans and $40 million in economic aid in 1984, while promising to make 'best (aid) efforts' during the remainder of the envisaged seven-year agreement.
American forces have used the island base since 1951. In 1973, Arab states slapped an oil embargo on Portugal because Lajes served as the refueling stop for the emergency U.S. airlift to Israel in the Yom Kippur war.
Portugal was Shultz' last stop on an eight-day tour that also took him to Wes Germany, Belgium, Tunisia and Morocco.
