A Take On Ibarretxe's Proposal

The Globe published this article about Ibarretxe's proposal:

Peacefully, Basques take on Spain anew

By Paulo Prada, Globe Correspondent, 3/23/2003

VITORIA, Spain - As Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar struggles to build support for the war in Iraq, another Spanish leader is battling for a cause of his own.

The Basque premier, Juan Jose Ibarretxe of the moderate Basque Nationalist Party, is pushing a proposal that would grant the Basque region, one of 17 administrative areas, in Spain, further self- government, along with nominal sovereignty over its three provinces.

In an interview at his official residence, a brick-and-sandstone mansion in the Basque capital of Vitoria, Ibarretxe said he wants ''people outside the Basque country to understand what we're talking about.''

''This is not about forming a separate state; it's not about independence,'' Ibarretxe said. ''It's about developing a new relationship with Spain and getting past the stalemate that curses us both.''

Although sovereignty would be ''shared'' with the Spanish government, the plan is raising hackles in Madrid and elsewhere in Spain, as varied political forces reject the notion of ceding further powers to a region that has more political autonomy than any other.

Ibarretxe conceived the plan, which stresses ''free association'' with Spain, as a way to circumvent the impasse that has dogged the Basque country's relationship with Madrid, and that has helped to kindle the separatist torch carried by ETA, or Basque Homeland and Liberty, the group that has been linked to the killings of 839 people since 1968.

Among other demands, the proposal seeks the creation of Basque courts, a regional social security system, a distinct nationality, even a diplomatic corps. Critics say that the proposal is vague, and that its consequences are unpredictable.

Ibarretxe unveiled the plan before the Basque Parliament in September. Since, he has traveled around Spain, Europe, and Latin America to promote it. Next month, he will fly to Chicago, New York, and Boston, ahead of an address April 7 at Harvard.

The Basque country, a verdant region that includes the northern coast and some of the Pyrenees, as well as parts of the southeastern coast and mountains of France, is home to just over 2 million people. One of Europe's original populations, the Basques boast the continent's oldest live language. The region itself predates the political creation of Spain by millennia.

Although the region has always formed an integral part of Spain - Basques were instrumental in forging the modern Spanish state - nationalist movements in the late 1800s gained force during the dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.

As Spain moved toward democracy in the 1970s, the region wrested a large degree of self-government from Madrid and today administers its own tax, education, police, and health programs. Most Basques oppose outright independence, but nationalist sentiment continues to thrive, as does a small separatist minority.

Relations with Madrid have worsened in recent years. After a brief detente in 1999, when ETA ended a 14-month cease-fire, the group resumed its campaign, allegedly murdering a Socialist town councilman last month in Andoian, a nationalist stronghold south of San Sebastian.

While the Basque government condemns ETA and its tactics, Ibarretxe (pronounced EE-bahr-REH-tcheh) and his party are scorned by some opponents who say they could do more to curb the violence.

The proposal was made at a particularly tense time. On March 17, the Spanish Supreme Court, after deliberating for months, on outlawed Herri Batasuna, the radical nationalist party that is considered ETA's political wing. In February, the Spanish government shut down Egunkaria, a Basque-language newspaper that police say has ties to ETA.

Ibarretxe opposes both measures. ''If there is proof,'' he said, ''then arrest the criminals. But you can't get closer to peace by outlawing ideologies or trying to stamp out a language and culture.''

In a classically decorated sitting room - still-lifes adorn the walls - Ibarretxe denounced the reluctance by Aznar's government to discuss his proposal. ''It's the lack of communication that hurts our relationship.''

For years, the Spanish government has vowed not to yield to demands of Basque nationalists until it believes they will cooperate fully to eradicate ETA. Because the Basque Nationalist Party has governed in coalition with Batasuna - and has declined arrangements with mainstream Spanish parties to outweigh separatist votes in town councils - Madrid often portrays Ibarretxe as a party to the radicals.

He calls such arguments ''unreasonable.''

''We'll defeat the radical parties,'' Ibarretxe said, ''but we'll do it at the ballot box. How dare the Spanish parties talk of pacting with us when they don't properly talk to us?''

Trim and energetic - he cycles 60 miles or so on weekends, with bodyguards in tow - the 46-year-old Ibarretxe is a career politician. He was elected mayor of his hometown, near Vitoria, at age 26, and to the Basque Parliament at 27.

President, in the Basque country since 1998, Ibarretxe has consistently pressed Madrid for more power. ''We don't want more self-government so we can bicker with Madrid,'' he said. ''We want it so we can live better.''

With a per-capita income 24 percent higher than the Spanish average, many Basques attribute their prosperity in part to the high level of autonomy.

Under the terms of Ibarretxe's proposal for further freedoms, the Basque Parliament will review a completed draft this year and will eventually pass it on to voters in a referendum. Although the measure would also have to be approved by the Spanish Parliament to be constitutionally binding - a tall order - many opponents fear that the proposal, even if defeated, will sow further dissent.

''This tries to convert the dreams of a minority of Basque society into reality for the whole,'' said Leopoldo Barreda, a member of the Basque Legislature and a spokesman for Aznar's center-right Popular Party.

Legal specialists say the process is technically possible, but the proposal's ends could defy the constitution.

''The region could one day set up a judicial system, but it would have to be subordinate to the Spanish Supreme Court,'' said Juan Jose Solozabal, a professor of constitutional law at the Autonomous University of Madrid. ''It could have foreign missions, but that couldn't replace Spanish diplomats.''

Voters appear to be divided. A poll by the Basque government, which distributed 80,000 pamphlets outlining the plan to households, suggests that 75 percent of the population supports weighing new proposals on the region's relationship with Madrid. But a study by the University of the Basque Country, in Bilbao, indicates that 45 percent of the population believes Ibarretxe's plan would spark further instability.

An early indication of the proposal's future may be shown on May 25, when Basques vote in local elections. A poor showing for Ibarretxe's party could reflect aversion to his plan.

If rebuffed, Ibarretxe says, he would continue to seek alternatives to the deadlock with Madrid. ''I don't expect Basques to stand toe to toe in support,'' he says. ''If other people have better ideas, fine. But, by God, speak up and present them.''

Even if Ibarretxe is honest about this lukewarm and watered-down push for self determination, Spain will disregard it and Ibarretxe will be left with nothing to hold on to. The only solution to the Basque call to self determination is complete sovereignty, meaning, independence.

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