PSOE to Ask EU to Ban Plan

Today at Berria:

Spanish Socialist Party to ask EU to issue declaration against plan

Zapatero says the proposal of Ibarretxe, the President of the Basque Autonomous Community, “signifies a break with the European Union”

Editorial Staff – DONOSTIA (San Sebastian)

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the General Secretary of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), said yesterday that he would be asking the Spanish Government and the governments of the other states of Europe to issue a formal declaration acknowledging that “the territories that break the current legal framework and take the initiative to go their own way are breaking with the European Union.” Zapatero made this request after condemning the proposal for a political statute of the Government of the BAC [Basque Autonomous Community of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa]. After making this request he suggested that the European Union should issue a declaration against the proposal.

When giving the reasons for the request he said that if the proposal were implemented, “the consequences would not only be for the Basque Autonomous Community, but also for Europe.” In the PSOE federal committee meeting yesterday Zapatero vehemently attacked Ibarretxe’s plan. He accused Juan Jose Ibarretxe, the Lehendakari or President of the BAC Government, of “wanting to cover up the fact that the Basque Autonomous Community would end up outside Europe if it broke the framework of Spain.” Afterwards he again called for a declaration that he regarded as necessary by the states and governments of Europe “against a political reality that is becoming clear”. Zapatero admitted that he fully agreed with the PP [the ruling Spanish Popular Party] in opposing Ibarretxe’s proposal, and that this guaranteed that the plan would have no chance whatsoever of becoming reality. Addressing Ibarretxe he recalled that the PSOE would never participate in the debate on the plan, “and the chance of this is even more remote while the violence of ETA [the armed, pro-Basque independence organisation] is going on.” On hearing the message Eduardo Zaplana, the Spanish Government spokesman, congratulated Zapatero, and said that he hoped that it would be an “errand” for Pasquall Maragall, the General Secretary of the PSC [the PSOE’s Catalan wing].

How sad can this be, an allegedly socialist politician siding with the backwards Spanish extreme right against the will and the right of an entire people to its self-determination.

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