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1 – In its today’s editions, newspapers Diário de Notícias and Jornal de Notícias, referring to statements made by the Minister of Internal Affairs in Parliament, asserted that this member of the Government had considered the President of the Republic responsible for alleged delays in the enactment of the Organic Law of the National Republican Guard and, consequently in the re-allocation of Republican Guard troops performing administrative duties.

2 – The following clarification is required:

– on 9 August 2007, the Presidency of the Republic received the first version of the Organic Law of the National Republican Guard approved in Parliament;

– on 29 August 2007, that same legislative document was returned to Parliament without enactment, having been vetoed by the President of the Republic with the use of the powers conferred upon him by article No.136, No. 1, of the Constitution;

– on 15 October 2007, the Presidency of the Republic received the second version of the Organic Law of the National Republican Guard, which fully agreed with the reasoning put forward by the presidential veto;

– on 19 October 2007 – that is, just four days after its reception in the Presidency of the Republic – the Organic Law of the National Republican Guard was enacted;

– this Legislation was later published by Parliament as Law No. 63/2007, dated 6 November.

3 – The exercise of powers conferred constitutionally upon the President of the Republic cannot, in any case whatever, be understood as a cause for the delay in the coming into force of legislation, neither can it be used to justify the tardiness in materializing governmental measures.

Lisbon, 10 September 2008