The World - News from Dec. 2, 1988

Spain and the United States signed a new eight-year defense agreement. Signed in Madrid by Spanish Foreign Ministry official Maximo Cajal and U.S. Ambassador Reginald Bartholomew, the agreement must be ratified by the Spanish Parliament. Changes include cutting the maximum number of U.S. personnel from 12,500 to around 8,000 and meeting Spain’s demand for removal of 72 F-16 fighter-bombers from an air base near Madrid. The agreement bans the transport or storage of nuclear weapons on Spanish soil. But, satisfying Washington’s traditional refusal to confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons on its ships and planes, Madrid agrees not to inquire what they are carrying.