Two Notes From Berria

The first one from Batasuna:

BATASUNA: France only offers “pseudo-measures”, denounces Batasuna in Uztaritze

The weekend series of seminars, organised under the slogan, 'Batasuna (Unity) fightback', covered a number of topics, and called for “building a Basque Country without divisions or exclusions”

Editorial Staff - BAIONA

Batasuna organised seminars last Saturday and Sunday in Uztaritze (Lapurdi) under the slogan, “Batasuna fightback”). 150 participants heard Batasuna spokesperson, Xabi Larralde, condemn the French State’s offer of “pseudo-measures” for devolution. Of the two seminar groups, one discussed the land and housing issue while the other debated the outlines of the French Public Interest Body which Batasuna members was not a tool to “promote the needed national agreement for Euskal Herria at this crucial juncture”. The Gernika Autonomy Statute was “dead” and looked to the Batasuna National Debate Forum to take place on November 14 for “a new proposal”.

The second one about Ibarretxe:

Basque President Ibarretxe: “The future of the Basques will not be decided in Spain but in the Basque Country"

Yesterday’s statement from the Basque Government denounced the Spanish Government’s mockery of the Basque Autonomy Statute on its 25 anniversary

Edurne Begiristain - GASTEIZ (Vitoria)

The Statute of Gernika, was 25 years old yesterday and, to mark the occasion, the Basque Government, met at the Ajuria Enea residence of the Lehendakari (Basque President) in the Basque administrative Capital of Gasteiz. The Lehendakari, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, read out an official statement to the media, underlining the significance of yesterday’s date and looking to the future, “The train of the future is under way and its destination is Basque society making its own decisions”. In the words of the Lehendakari, it is the Basques themselves who will decide what the “stations” should be, but he made it patently clear that political party “insults” will not stop the train. Having said this and, in the name of the Basque Government, he sent the following message to both the Basque and Spanish peoples: “The future of the Basque Country will not be decided in Spain, it will be decided by the Basques”.

The entire Basque Government cabinet turned out for the event. Mr Ibarretxe made references to the 1839 Law abolishing the Basque provinces’ Foral Rights, the 1979 Gernika Statute of Autonomy and his own government’s 2003 Proposal for a New Statute. He stated that these decisive events indicated that “the political conflict over the collective and individual rights of the Basque Country being a people and a nation had not yet been resolved”

“They mock laws passed by the Basque people”

Mr Ibarretxe stated that, “Above all, the Statute of Gernika had enabled Basque institutions to be set up and policies to be introduced. Nevertheless”, he continued, in the past 25 years we have had nothing from the Spanish State except disdain for legislation approved by the Basques and mockery towards the democratic norms”. In these strong terms the Lehendakari condemned the continuous “delaying and obstructive tactics” of the Spanish State in the full compliance with the Statute of Autonomy. As a consequence, in Mr Ibarretxe’s words, the institutions of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa have had to work hard towards guaranteeing compliance with the Statute. In this sense, Mr Ibarretxe linked self-government with well-being: Basque society have made it patently clear that they wanted improved and more effective public services organised by the Basque Country”.

This is why, the President argued, the Basque Autonomous Community and Spain have to come up with “a reformed agreement for living alongside one another” and why, “just one year ago today, the Basque Government introduced a proposal for the reform of the Statute".

“Arrogance”, claims Spanish conservative PP party

The candidate for Lehendakari for the Popular Party in the Basque Country, Maria San Gil, said that Ibarretxe’s speech was “arrogant”, lacked “self-criticism” and would only lead to “rupture”, claimed Ms. San Gil.

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