Portugal congratulates United States on the killing of Osama bin Laden

Luis Amado, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Portuguese caretaker government, has issued a statement congratulating the United States for the “success of the mission that caused the death of Osama bin Laden.”

The statement noted that it was the culmination of almost a decade of determination by the American people and their allies “to fight terrorism and fanaticism that have caused so many innocent victims.”

The Portuguese foreign ministry statement continued: “This fight is not against Islam that has also been the victim of cowardly attacks that so cruelly reap countless lives and force people to live in a climate of insecurity and terror, only contributing to the destabilization of the world.”

Amado echoed others in warning that the death of bin Laden does not signal either the end of Al Qaeda or of terrorism committed by extremist Muslims. “It is necessary to maintain the same spirit of cooperation and determination to defend our principles and values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence,” he said.

While bin Laden's death is temporarily dominating the main headlines in Portugal, the country's bailout remains the number one national issue. No decision has yet been made on the rescue package.

The eurosceptic True Finns are still grumbling on the sidelines but Klaus Regling, the head of the European Financial Stability Facility, is being quoted today as saying that no country will veto the bailout plan. “We can imagine a country abstaining, but a veto is impossible,” he said in an interview with a French newspaper.