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Towards Independence and Socialism
EUSKAL HERRIA - BASQUE COUNTRY
STEP BY STEP ASKAPENA's Informative Service N. 137
THE CRISIS: CHRONOLOGY OF A BIG TURBULENCE (I)
The negotiation process in flying terms is due to land on the runway to slide peacefully but it cannot. Even worse, in the landing process it is subject to dangerous turbulence, which jeopardise all the manoeuvres for getting closer.
The Spanish state is playing with fire. Since ETA announced its cease of fire, Spain's strategy has been a non stop provocation. An approach which is not the most appropriate one for a verified cease of fire and for a true effort in order to create a relaxed atmosphere for the talks that have to take place. There is true evidence about the fact that the Spanish state is trying really hard to condition and suffocate the Basque pro independence party: prohibition street demonstrations so that Batasuna should disappear from the streets, a very strong repressions if the acts are carried away despite the ban, a big increase of police road controls, continuous arrests on both sides of the inter-state frontier, persuading some other states to collaborate with the Spanish repression by arresting Basque refugees in those countries giving them away to Spain, also by hardening the prison policy by which Basque political prisoners are scattered in Spanish prisons very far away from their home, blackmailing 60 leaders of the Basque pro independence party with the 18/98 trial which is being carried out in the Spanish National Court under shameful conditions? another repressive strategy by the Spanish state consists in asking for huge amounts of money to leaders of Batasuna in return for their provisional freedom.
The very last agression
This repressive strategy's last and most violent expression has consisted in taking policy under justice in order to corner Batasuna's leadership. The government has had very big contradictions from the very beginning: it has asked to the Parliament permission to talk to ETA, and at the very same time the government has closed its door to official dialogue with Batasuna, because according to the Spanish government Batasuna is a "terrorist organization". So the government from Spain keeps Batasuna illegal, but at the very same time it openly admits that there are private contacts between the PS of Euskadi ( the Socialist Party from the South Western Basque Country) and Batasuna.
The Spanish government favours the Political Party Law as this law enables the government to let more or less freedom to its interlocutors. This law is like Damocles' sword for the people sitting in front of the government at the time of speaking. As previously mentioned these coercive measures have been increased since the cease of fire by ETA and since Batasuna has carried out the necessary political management. This is the chronology of the crisis that has happened:
March 24th.- After the cease of fire by ETA, Batasuna did celebrate a populated press conference in Iruñea in order to value the situation that there was after the permanent cease of fire by ETA. This conference was considered by the Spanish Court Prosecution as a way of not carrying out the Law of Political Parties, since from their point of view there was an attempt by Batasuna to introduce to the public the party's new direction and it asked the Spanish National Court to open charges against eight members of Batasuna's management, because from their point of view that press conference was "a recurring crime".
May 19th.- The Spanish National Court accepts the prosecution's proposal and calls to eight representatives of Batasuna to declare in that same Court on the 30th and 31st of may. The judicial pronouncement accepts the prosecution's proposal and between the representatives called to declare is Arnaldo Otegi, who because of feeling ill, was not present on the 24th of May.
May 19th.- That very same day Batasuna holds a conference to evaluate the critical situation in which the peace process is at that point. " We are in a very extreme situation and this is not the way to build a solution process up? All that people justifying and protecting any kind of repressive measure are walking the path of blackmailing the process itself, so that this opportunity should be lost? the only aim of the Spanish National Court is to keep a structural continuous and intense repression against the Basque left wing pro independence sector? This is not the way to get a solution, but the ideal way to cause crisis and confrontation? We have proved that we the same patient as responsible at a political level, but a peace process cannot bet achieved on this ground"
May 21st.- The Spanish government does understand what those words do mean and Zapatero holds a political meeting in Euskal Herria as an answer. According to some people the Spanish government did clearly understand the message of the 19th of May, did evaluate its relevance and decided to move forward the date when Zapatero was to announce his intention of talking to ETA.
May 22nd.- In this occasion, Batasuna did understand the message and it organised a new conference in which Batasuna did appreciate the announce by Zapatero in Barakaldo of his intention of having conversations with the armed organization. But it asked to advance in the phase of normalization opening a new space of dialogue with the political forces.
May 24th .- On its intention to advance in a climate for dialogue for resolution, Batasuna made a new step: it introduced its members in charge of the dialogue with the Spanish government and asks to the rest of organizations to stop making declarations and to do the same. The Spanish government delegate in Navarra warned that very same day that he will send to the Spanish National Court reports about the conference by Batasuna, since from his point of view, the introduction in front of the press of the members in charge of the dialogue is against the law.
May 25th .- Batasuna warms that the non stop attacks are bringing the process close to collapsing: " Rubalcaba and Zapatero's advisers are pulling very strongly from the string and they may know what they are doing? if next week the negotiators happen to go to prison, the situation will be blocked" ( Joseba Permach).
May 26th .- The Government wants to decrease the tension and it lets the people know by means of El País newspaper that the prosecution (the same one that favoured the opening of diligences) is not going to ask for special measures against the accused ones. The very same day, the judge of the Spanish National Court, Mr Marlaska, goes in the opposite direction. Having in consideration the declarations by Joseba Permach, the interview to ETA that Gara the newspaper published on the 14th of May and the introduction of negotiators on the 24th , Marlaska increases the accusation against Batasuna, accusing the organizztion of "terrorist threats".
May 27th .- Batasuna (Pernando Barrena) gives a conference in which he makes clear that the situation is on its limit: "We are clearly betting on the process, but the PSOE may make it collapse".
The tension is now extreme. On the 30th and 31st of this month eight representatives of the left pro independence party are meant to go to the Spanish National Court and they are very likely to go to prison. They have decided to pay no fees if they are imposed. That same day things may improve. This all Hill be the subject for the next Step by Step.
Euskal Herria, 11th of June 2006
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