Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Zanpantzar in Zubieta


'Zanpanzar,' villagers wearing big bells on their backs, carrying horse tails on their hands and with rooster feathers on their colourful hats, march through Zubieta during a Basque traditional carnival in Zubieta, northern Spain January 31, 2006. Every year men from Ituren parade to the neighbouring town of Zubieta to join the traditional carnival, a festival to welcome the spring after a tough winter in the deep valleys of the northern Navarre region. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Monday, January 30, 2006

Zanpantzar in Ituren


Revelers dressed as what the locals call in the Basque Euskerra language, the 'Zanpanzart de Ituren' walk through the village of Ituren, northern Spain, Monday, Jan. 30, 2006 during a carnival celebration. The Zanpanzart de Ituren traditionally march through the village every year in a ritual to purify the harvest land from evil spirits and to welcome the coming Spring. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Saturday, January 28, 2006

Today in Alsasua


Supporters of the Batasuna party wait beneath a poster written in Basque language saying ' For The Law and Democratic Solution' in Alsasua, northern Spain Saturday Jan. 28, 2006. The outlawed Basque nationalist party Batasuna, believed to be the political wing of ETA, were going to hold a political rally but it was prohibited by the authorities. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Snow in Okondo


A dog runs by a snow-covered road in the northern Spanish Basque village of Oquendo. Frigid weather left more people dead and injured throughout Europe, as snow sweeping south paralysed transport in France, Switzerland and Italy and caused fatal accidents in Poland and Spain.(AFP/Rafa Rivas)

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Snow in Busturia


Lamb run across a snow-covered field near the Spanish Basque town of Busturia January 28, 2006. Heavy snowfall has closed many secondary roads in the north of Spain, while lowering temperatures are expected in the south by Sunday. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Friday, January 27, 2006

Snow in Gernika


A man shelters under an umbrella from a heavy snowfall in the Spanish Basque town of Gernika January 27, 2006. Ten Spanish regions are under emergency status due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Peio's Nightmare


French Basque singer Peio Serbielle is escorted by hooded police officers after hearings at the Pau courthouse, southwestern France, Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006, in connection with the recent arrest of ETA's reputed top leader Mikel Antza . Serbielle is suspected to have housed Antza. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)

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Monday, January 23, 2006

Barkatu

This blog has been discontinued.
UPDATE: Due to the amount of emails kindly asking for Euskal Blog: Ingeleraz to continue publishing information about the Basque community in Euskal Herria and around the world, the decision to continue has been taken.
Eskerrik asko.
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Saturday, January 21, 2006

Sinn Fein in Barakaldo


Sinn Fein parliamentary deputy Aengus O'Snodaigh, right, applauds to thousands of people rallying for Basque independence and to protest a court-ordered ban on a congress planned by the outlawed separatist party Batasuna in Barakaldo, close to the Basque port city of Bilbao, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. 'Prohibition is a sign of cowardice,' O'Snodaigh told the crowd, 'Peace can't begin with jailings and repression. Spain's Supreme Court outlawed Batasuna in 2003 on the grounds that it was part of the armed separatist organization ETA, closing down its offices and barring it from engaging in political activity. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Otegi in Barakaldo


Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi gestures as he speaks to some 20,000 people rallying for Basque independence and to protest a court-ordered ban on a congress planned by the outlawed separatist party Batasuna in Barakaldo, close to the Basque port city of Bilbao, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. Spain's Supreme Court outlawed Batasuna in 2003 on the grounds that it was part of the armed separatist organization ETA, closing down its offices and barring it from engaging in political activity. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

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Today in Barakaldo





Some of the 20,000 protestors wave with Basque flags as they listen to Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi, left, under a banner reading in Basque 'civil and political rights' as they rally calling for Basque independence and to protest a court-ordered ban on a congress planned by the outlawed separatist party Batasuna in Barakaldo, close to the Basque port city of Bilbao, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. Spain's Supreme Court outlawed Batasuna in 2003 on the grounds that it was part of the armed separatist organization ETA, closing down its offices and barring it from engaging in political activity. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Friday, January 20, 2006

Support in Barakaldo


An unidentified man pastes a poster on a wall for a political meeting of the outlawed separatist Basque party Batasuna in Barakaldo, northern Spain, Friday, Jan. 20, 2006. The poster reads in the Basque language, Batasuna Lives, Batasuna wants to hold the congress tomorrow. The Batasuna party, thought to be the political wing of ETA, vowed last Tuesday to go ahead with the congress it has called for this weekend even though a Spanish judge has prohibited the meeting. The Batasuna congress, called for Saturday in a town near Bilbao, is designed to elect a new leadership for the party, which was founded in the late 1970s. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Alvarez in Bilbo


Joseba Alvarez, International Affairs spokesman for the outlawed Basque nationalist party Batasuna, speaks at a news conference in Bilbao, northern Spain, January 20, 2006. A Spanish High Court judge banned Batasuna from celebrating a party congress in the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Barakaldo tomorrow. Alvarez said that Batasuna members intended to attend a rally organized by a self-defined anonymous citizens platform 'in favour of civil rights for everyone' outside the BEC building at the same time as the planned congress. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Social Activism in Barakaldo


Members of a self-defined anonymous citizens platform give a news conference in front of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), in Barakaldo, northern Spain, January 20, 2006. A Spanish High Court judge banned the outlawed Basque nationalist party Batasuna from celebrating a party congress in the BEC tomorrow. The platform announced a demonstration 'in favour of civil rights for everyone', outside the building at the same time as the planned congress. REUTERS/Vincent West.

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Thursday, January 19, 2006

Alvarez and Petrikorena


Basque radical leaders Joseba Alvarez (R) and Juan Jose Petrikorena (2nd R) look at masked Basque policeman before the closure of the offices of outlawed Basque political party Batasuna in San Sebastian January 19, 2006. A Spanish High Court judge ordered the closure of all Batasuna offices and has banned a rally called by the party on January 21, 2006 in Barakaldo, northern Spain. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Permach in Donostia


Joseba Permach, one of the leaders of the outlawed separatist Basque Batasuna Party, answers questions put to him by the media after the headquarters of the Party was closed in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday Jan. 19, 2006. The headquarters where closed on a order from the National Court. The Batasuna party, vowed last Tuesday to go ahead with a congress it has called for this weekend even though a Spanish judge has prohibited the meeting. The Batasuna congress, called for Saturday in a town near Bilbao, is designed to elect a new leadership for the party, which was founded in the late 1970s. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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Robocops in Donostia


Masked Basque police officers prepare to enter outlawed Basque political party Batasuna's office in San Sebastian January 19, 2006. A Spanish High Court judge ordered the closure of all Batasuna offices and has banned a rally called by the party on January 21, 2006 in Barakaldo, northern Spain. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Robocops Against Batasuna


Masked Basque policemen leave the offices of outlawed Basque political party Batasuna in Bilbao January 19, 2006. A Spanish High Court judge ordered the closure of all Batasuna offices and has banned a rally called by the party on January 21, 2006 in Barakaldo, northern Spain. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Imaz in Bilbo



Josu Jon Imaz, President of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), speaks during a news conference in Bilbao January 18, 2006. Imaz said he planned to meet outlawed Basque political party Batasuna to hear first hand what its leaders had planned to say at a meeting in Bilbao on Saturday that has been banned by Spain's High Court. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Otegi in Donostia


Arnaldo Otegi, leader of outlawed Basque party Batasuna, addresses a news conference in San Sebastian January 17, 2006. Spain's High Court banned a rally called by the radical party and suspended all of Batasuna's activities for a further two years. Otegi announced on Tuesday Batasuna will keep on calling for the rally to take place next Saturday in spite of the judicial ban. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Support in Hernani


Supporters of outlawed Basque political party Batasuna paste a poster announcing a rally by party, in Hernani, northern Spain January 17, 2006. Spain's High Court banned the rally on Tuesday and suspended all of Batasuna's activities for a further two years. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Txakoli in Getaria


People get their glasses filled with 'Txakoli' (typical Basque white wine) during Txakoli Day in the northern Basque town of Getaria in Spain January 17, 2006. Getaria's vineyards are the most important producers of this wine, considered by many the inheritor of a culture and a tradition carried for centuries and an element with its own voice in the life and customs of the Basque people. REUTERS/Pablo Sanchez

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Announcement in Santutxu


A man walks past a poster advertising a controversial Basque nationalist rally in Santutxu, near Bilbao, January 17, 2006. Spain's High Court is due to decide on Tuesday whether to ban the January 21 rally because it may have been called by Batasuna, barred by the Supreme Court for its ties with violent separatists ETA. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Monday, January 16, 2006

Dockworkers' Strike


Dock workers take part in a demonstration at the Basque seaport of Pasajes, north of Spain. A dockworkers strike snarled European ports in protest of an EU plan to liberalize port services, while an angry demonstration outside the European Parliament left a dozen police injured.(AFP/Rafa Rivas)

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Carod-Rovira, Ibarretxe and Errazti


The President of Catalan pro-independence party Ezquerra Republicana, Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira (C), Basque regional president Juan Jose Ibarretxe (R) and Eusko Alkartasuna President Begona Erratzi talk during a parliamentary visit in Vitoria, northern Spain, January 16, 2006. Carod-Rovira and Ibarretxe are seeking more autonomy for their regions and for recognition as nations within the Spanish state. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Friday, January 13, 2006

A Bit of Humor

You have to hand it to those who can see issues with humor. When someone loses its own ability to laugh at one's own antics, then is not worth it anymore.
A few months back at his blog "RSC", Pri posted something published by The Onion, a well known parody publication.
This time it is Spero News at an commentary called "2006: A retrospective " by Uri P. Dees (Euripides just in case you are not familiar with English pronunciation), here you have it:
In February Spanish Premier Rodriguez "Chapuzero" decided that the only solution to the territorial crisis that he and his government's supporters had created was to rename the whole country "Catalunya". From the beginning of 2007 the official language of "Catalunya" will be Catalan. The Capital will be Barcelona and all government ministries and offices are being relocated there.
The King of Catalunya, Joan Carles 1, will have his official residence in Mallorca. The use of Spanish, the former official language, is to be banned. Reactions in "Catalunya" were wide ranging. The Basque Nationalists demanded independence from Barcelona. The Galician autonomous government promised to defend the "Galego" language against the imperialism of Catalan.
In Madrid the majority of citizens refused to learn Catalan, although they are delighted that all anti-government protest marches and other public demonstrations will now take place elsewhere. For this reason alone Madrid also went up 17 points on the "Quality of life" scale. "Real Madrid" football club has been renamed "Leal Madrid" and the Madrid Nationalist Liberation Movement began a campaign for independence from Catalunya.
The meltdown of the country once known as "Spain" proceeded apace when, in December, "Chapuzero" was forced to resign from office for not speaking Catalan correctly.
Hope you enjoyed it.
I did.

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Thursday, January 12, 2006

Four Years Blogging

Four years blogging for Euskal Herria and the Basque community around the world.
It is easy to say it. But it takes a lot of work and dedication.
Today is the fourth anniversary of this blog dedicated to shedding light on everything and anything Basque.
It was a humble start as you can tell by reading the first ever post.
The first couple of months there was barely no activity, but then the pace started to pick up and today this has to be one of the most important blogs within the Basque diaspora.
Today I want to reiterate my commitment to continue to work on constantly updating this blog so people around the world can learn about Euskal Herria, the Basque Country, its history, its culture, its language, its contributions to the world and its struggle for self determination.
Stay tuned, and if you speak/read Spanish, don't forget to visit the version in that language called Euskal Blog: Gazteleraz.
Thanks for your readership.
And your comments.

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The Retired Pelota Player

In its article called "Ex-player now in jai-alai ball room", the Miami Herald gives us a recount of the sunset in the life of a Basque pelota player who chose the kantxas of Miami a long time ago.
Is a bitter-sweet story of a sport that once drew large crowds into the Jai Alai courses all over the world.
This story is about Julio Anchia, an average player then, a ball maker today:
Long, long before Julio Anchia came to the yellow cinderblock room in the back of the Dania Beach fronton, he learned jai-alai in a town called Marquina in the Basque country.

All the boys in that town did. The best went to a school to refine their skills, and when they left, they went to Mexico or Cuba or the United States to play professionally.

Anchia left because he did not want to grow vegetables like his parents did. When he was 16 he went to Italy, where he made $1,000 a month, then Tijuana for more money, then Miami, where he made more than $2,000 a month and finished his career. He was not a very good player. Nor was he bad, and in those days that was enough, because the sport was healthy. Twelve thousand people showed up some nights in Miami.
I strongly recommend you read the entire article, like the shepherds portrayed in the excellent documentary "The Last Link", this may be another part of the Basque influence in the American continent about to fade away.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Kosovo's Puzzle

I tould you a few months ago, the whole Kosovo issue can get a bit messy.
Well, here you have someone else saying it:
The precedent with a probable granting of independence to Kosovo could serve as a powerful impulse for the forceful resolving of many other regional conflicts. We should not rule out the option under which some older territorial disputes be revived and some new ones be set ablaze both on the Balkans (between Albania and Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia or Bosnia and Croatia) and outside them. Thus, the Basque, Corsican and Ulster separatists will gain additional trump-cards. The same is true for the Kurds - especially those in North Iraq.
This tidbit appeared at a long essay by Todor Kondakov called "The Kosovo Trap" that was published at Global Politician.

It is a long essay, and is worth reading it.

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Basque Beauty Queen

I was reading not too long ago at a friend's blog that she had no clue Linda Carter, known to the world as "Wonder Woman", was in fact a Mexican American.
Well, how about a Basque Miss America?
There was one, back in the fifties, as this article titled "Miss America past its prime (time)" that appeared at The Clarion Ledger tells us:
Then, 1951's Miss America, Yolande Betbeze Fox, contacted the museum and offered not only her crown but also her scepter and Miss America sash.

Fox may have been the most unconventional Miss America ever. Born Yolande Betbeze in Mobile in 1930, she comes from Basque ancestry, and her dark, exotic looks were hardly typical of beauty contestants in the '50s. But her magnetism, and a well-trained operatic voice, focused the judges' attention.
Lets see, the most unconventional Miss America ever, yes indeed, sounds like a Basque character to me.
If we continue to read, we find out why:
Betbeze wore the fabled crown uneasily. In 1969, she recalled to the Washington Post that she had been too much of a nonconformist to do the bidding of the pageant's sponsors.
One of her first acts was to inform the Catalina bathing suit company that she would not appear in a swimsuit in public unless she were going swimming. Spurned, Catalina broke with the Miss America Pageant and started Miss Universe.
So there you go, one more thing to credit a Basque for, the Miss Universe pageant. My guess is that the male population out there should be grateful.
But that was not all of it, the article provides some more info about Yolande Betzebe:
When Betbeze's yearlong reign came to an end, she studied philosophy at New York's New School of Social Research. She continued to sing, appearing with the Mobile Opera Guild in The Tales of Hoffmann.
In 1954 she married Matthew Fox, a businessman and movie producer, and began mounting plays in an off-Broadway theater she helped found. Today, Fox, a widow, lives much of the year in a Washington, D.C., house once owned by Jackie Kennedy.

Luckily for the Smithsonian, says Shayt, she admits to being a "bit of a pack rat," so, though she eschewed the pomp (and circumstances) of her Miss America victory, she never relinquished her crown, now part of America's cultural heritage.
Is she related to Mexican President Vicente Fox?
Who knows.

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Are Palestinian Flags Antisemitic?

A couple of web sites report about a complaint by Racing de Santander's Israeli goal keeper Dudu Awat about some Osasuna de Pamplona's fans wishing for Ariel Sharon's dismissal in their chants:
By Jeremy Last
Israeli goalkeeper Dudu Awat who currently plays for Spanish club Racing Santander, has complained about opposition supporters calling for the death of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Awat's team held second placed Osasuna to a 1-1 draw, the first time Osasuna had not won at home in the league this season.
But the match was tainted by Osasuna fanatics taunting Awat throughout the game. The supporters of the Basque team are known for their racist slogans and chants.
Palestinian flags
According to reports, the Osasuna supporters held Palestinian flags and anti-Israel banners as well as shouting "Death to Sharon" and "We wish Sharon dies."
The Israeli prime minister is currently lying in an induced coma in the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem after undergoing several operations on his brain following the stroke he suffered last Wednesday.
Although clearly upset, Awat refused to repond to questions about the anti-Sharon chanting. He would only say: "I don't want to address those things. They're improper."
However, Awat said that while he was playing for Santander on Sunday he was feeling worried about Sharon and his condition.
"Even during the match my and my family's heart was with Sharon all the time," Awat said.
The Israeli international spoke of his concern for his prime minister and how he has been keeping up to date with the news via the internet.
"Those are difficult days for the country and I wish him a speedy recovery. It's difficult for us even here in Spain. We're following it on the Internet and hoping for the best," he said.
YNetNews adds little or nothing at an article titled "Spanish soccer fans: Death to Sharon", if not for this:
Osasuna fans, who are Basque, are known for their racist chants, and during the match against Santander focused their fury at the Israeli goalie. Spanish websites and journalists who covered the game reported that a large group of fans gathered behind Awat holding Palestinian flags and anti-Israel signs.
Both outlets seems to focus on one thing, Osasuna fans are Basques, and they are known for their racist chants.
Is a little bit weird that both titles point out towards Spanish fans but suddenly, they become Basques.
Weird, if one is to believe the international media, there is no Basques is Spain, only Spaniards. To complicate matters even more, Pamplona is located in Navarre, not in the Basque Autonomous Community.
So how did these two sites found out that those chanting the "racist" slogans were Basques?
And since when holding Palestinian flags became a crime?
Now, regarding the Sharon issue, after his role in the Sabra and Shattila massacre and his key part in the squatters strategy to rob Palestinians of their land, one has to realize that the fella is far from being Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
Would you be sad if Pinochet or Milosevic were to die tomorrow ohemorrhage hemmorage?
Neither do I.

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Monday, January 09, 2006

Irish Solidarity With Basque Political Prisoners

This comes to us from the Belfast Basque Committee:

Petition in Solidarity with Basque Prisoners

SUPPORT OUR BASQUE SISTERS AND BROTHERS AND SUPPORT THE DEMAND TO:

“BRING THE BASQUE PRISONERS TO THE BASQUE COUNTRY, ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR RIGHTS!” – Ibaeta University Declaration.

There are currently almost 700 Basque citizens in prison, suffering exceptional measures that come from the so-called “antiterrorist policy”. Their situation continues to get worse. The fact that, to date, 20 people have died in jail, the latest only weeks ago, is but an example of their extremely tough living conditions.

On Saturday 26 November, 2005, representatives of 29 Basque political, trade union, and social organizations met at the Ibaeta University Campus in Donostia in order to address the issue of Basque Political Prisoners.

They agreed to make a call to denounce the consequences of the policy of prisoner dispersal and demanding the Spanish and French governments recognize the representatives of the political prisoners and engage with them so that the Basque Political Prisoners Collective (EPPK) may take part in the ongoing political process. They agree that supporting the prisoners’ rights is an essential step towards conflict resolution.

Support the demands of the Basque Pro-Amnesty movement and the organizations at the Ibaeta Forum:

· The right to respectful and dignified treatment

· End torture and ill treatment

· End isolation and beatings

· Respect for the national and cultural identity of imprisoned people.

· The right to health

· Proper healthcare--Allow doctors chosen by the prisoners to visit them

· Immediate release of those who suffer serious illnesses.

· End surveillance and restrictions in communication

· Freedom to communicate in the Basque language

· Allow Basque prisoners to freely carry out their daily lives in Basque and fully develop their language skills.

· End the obstacles to study -- Allow the possibility to carry out studies in Basque

· Women in prison have the right to be mothers in conditions that do not diminish their dignity.

· Eliminate restrictions on communication with the child’s father.

· Guarantee living conditions for children in jail. Apply parole to prisoners who have served 3/4 or 2/3 of their sentence (depending on the Penal Code under which they were tried)
· Apply the corresponding legal sentence reductions without discrimination.

· Immediate release for prisoners who suffer serious incurable diseases.

· Acknowledge the representatives elected by the Collective. Allow the Collective to freely maintain relations with other political and social actors.

· Allow the Collective to freely participate in whichever instruments for debate and discussion Basque society creates. Repatriate the Basque Prisoners!

Source: EPPK (Basque Political Prisoners Collective)

To Sign Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/Basque/


Until All Are Free - We Are All Imprisoned!

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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Today on EITb

And here you have the first digest of 2006:

Argentinean Nobel Peace laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel has demanded "credibility gestures" to Spain's government and Basque armed group ETA with a view to moves towards peace. In this sense, he has quoted Basque political prisoners' transfer and an unconditional "truce" as means to make progress in talks.

"I think both the Spanish government and ETA must reach agreements. It is not only a problem between ETA and the government but also a problem of the Basque Country, which should be the leading character in this matter," he has explained throughout the interview.


Bilbao Athletic suffer undeserved and painful defeat (1-2)
Deportivo Coruña moved up to third in the Primera Liga with a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

An own goal from Bilbao defender Mari Lacruz and a howling error by keeper Daniel Aranzubia gifted Depor a fourth away victory in a row that pushed them within six points of second-placed Osasuna.

Basque Premier convinced that outlawed Batasuna will run for elections 2007
Basque Premier Juan José Ibarretxe is convinced that outlawed Batasuna will take part in elections 2007, as previously, "events" that will make it possible to participate will occur.

"It would be a bad sign for the future if Batasuna does not participate in next year's elections," he stated in an interview with the Diario de Noticias group.

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