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News, August 2006News theme: Basque politics and ETAOn 22nd March ('06), ETA, the Basque separatist terrorist group, announced a permanent ceasefire. One would have expected that after many years of living with terrorism in the Basque Country and across Spain, all Spaniards would have welcomed the announcement. However, a brief glance at newspaper headlines since that date would suggest that the announcement had been the spark for an all-out fight between the major parties. Two very different reactions have come to light and hopes of true 'peace' are as far as ever. To sum up the perspectives, the government and most regional and left wing parties are willing to do anything reasonable to secure the end to the violence, including reinstatement of the banned Basque party, Batasuna, which would rrrepresent the new peaceful political aspirations of those in ETA. On the other hand, the conservative Partido Popular is adamant that 'victory' over the terrorists must allow them no voice in negotiations beyond 'we surrender'. The thought that some proven murderors might be allowed out of prison is abhorrent to the PP and to many of thse who lost loved ones in the terror of the past 30 years. Some 1000 people lost their lives due to ETA action. Until 2003, terrorism in Spain meant ETA. Bombs, or bomb threats, assassinations and extortion were a regular part of life, affecting few directly, but leaving no one completely sure that it could not hit him or her. Evidently, the events of 11th March, 2004 changed the whole way Spaniards look at terrorism, as ETA lost its monopoly with the arrival of islamic terror. At the same time, over the past 18 months many accused of key ETA roles have been arrested. Yet, while terrorism is now regarded in a different way, the Basque 'problem' continues to be a major theme in the news and the political agenda. On 11th March 2004, Spain's perception of terrorism as primarily an internal problem was in a few minutes replaced by the international terror of Al Quaeda. A good number of significant ETA terrorists and collaborators have continued to be arrested since that time -including its leader, but little activity has come to anything. So the new government is now faced with an equally serious terror problem, but in facing this alone may fail to resolve the serious internal political issue of the Basque Country. Ibarretxe PlanBasque regional president Ibarretxe produced a proposal in September, 2003, to be approved in its complete form by the Basque parliament in December 2004, for a much greater degree of regional autonomy. Reactions from the Spanish 'constitutionalist' parties, conservative Partido Popular (PP) and Socialist PSOE were varied. The PP, in government at the time, was determined to maintain the status quo. They believe the regions have sufficient autonomy and that no more freedoms are necessary to allow everyone to feel the liberty demanded by 'extremists'. On the other hand the PSOE, which took over after the 14th March elections, 2004, believes the time is ripe for a look into the Constitution to see what further decentralisation can be made, even if this requires adjustments to the Constitution itself. Once in power, president Zapatero met with regional leader Ibarretxe for talks and it seemed some compromise might be reached allowing Basque concerns to be accepted. But the Basque nationalists stuck to their plans to rewrite their 'regional Statute' according to their own ideas. After the plan was approved by the regional parliament -with the controversial essential help of the 3 Batasuna representatives, it was sent to Madrid for approval. In the Madrid Congress it went to a debate on 1st February 2005. It was duly rejected. Ibarretxe is now examining the possibilities for the future, with the spring elections high on the agenda. Links to statements relating to the Ibarretxe Plan can be found on the comment page. On 21st November '05 the largest ever trial of presumed ETA members and sympathisers began. More in BBC article |