Eusko Flickr : Zarautz

Zarautz
Originally uploaded by alber

The Right to Independence

In his text called "Three cheers for Kosova!" published at Pakistan's Daily Times, Uri Avnery states this:

But a more general question arises: when does a national minority have the right to secede and establish a nation-state of its own? If the Kosovars have this right, why not the Basques in Spain? The Corsicans in France? The Tibetans in China? The Tamils in Sri Lanka? The Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria? The Luo in Kenya? The Darfurians in Sudan?

That is a subject best left to professors of political science. Reality has its own language. No one case is the same as another. There is no international tribunal to decide, according to established standards, who has this right — and who does not. The matter is decided in practice: when a particular population is determined to achieve independence at any cost, and when it is ready to fight and sacrifice for its independence — then they have the “right” to independence.

The aspirations of a minority depend also on the attitude of the majority. A nation that is wise enough to treat its national minorities with decency and accord them real equality will succeed in keeping the state intact. Countries like Canada and Belgium understand this and endeavour to prevent the breaking up of the state. But when the dominant people mistreat the minority — as the Serbs did in Kosovo and the Russians are doing in Chechnya — they reinforce the motivation to achieve independence.

But the paradox is that a small state, even a medium-sized state cannot maintain real independence in a world that is inevitably moving towards globalisation. States like Germany and France are compelled to transfer large chunks of their sovereign powers to regional super-states, like the European Union. The French economy and the German army are subject to Brussels more than to Paris and Berlin. So what is the sense in creating even smaller states?

The answer lies with the power of nationalism, which is not decreasing, but rather the opposite. One hundred or two hundred years ago, Corsica could not defend itself. To be secure, it had to be part of the French kingdom. The Basque homeland could not sustain an independent economy and needed to be part of a larger economic unit, like Spain. But today, when decisions are made in Brussels, why should Corsicans and Basques not have their own states and be separate members of the EU?

That is a world-wide tendency. Separate nations do not unite in new states, but on the contrary, existing states break up into national components. Anyone who believes that Israelis and Palestinians will unite tomorrow in one state does not live in the real world. The slogan “two states for two peoples” is relevant today more than ever.

So Israel, approaching its own 60th anniversary, should recognise the Republic of Kosova and wish it well.

I do not agree with his statement regarding Euskal Herria not being able to sustain itself in the past, after all, it was both Euskal Herria and Catalunya's economies the ones that maintained Spain afloat for the longest time.

One more thing, if you read the entire article you will find that Tito and the Serbs aided the Jewish during WWII, just like the Basques did.

You will also read about how Serbia lost its right over Kosovo the day Milosevic unleashed an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Albanians, just like Francisco Franco did against the Basques.

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Björk's Song

I like Bjork, we need all the calls to solidarity with our cause that we can get. This not comes to us via the Iceland Review:

Björk’s Concert in Serbia Cancelled

Iceland’s Björk, who is currently on a world tour promoting her latest album Volta, dedicated her song “Declare Independence” to Kosovo during her concerts in Tokyo on Tuesday and Friday, causing her concert in Novi Sad, Serbia, in July to be cancelled.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia last week.

The concert organizers in Serbia explained to Björk’s manager on Wednesday that they had called off her concert because of the unstable situation in the country, explaining they could not guarantee security for concert-goers, Morgunbladid reports.

“Maybe a Serb attended my concert [in Tokyo] and called home and therefore the concert in Novi Sad was cancelled,” Björk said.

Her stunt was covered in the media in Kosovo following the concert on Tuesday.

Björk has dedicated her song “Declare Independence” to different countries during her tour: to Greenland and the Faroe Islands when she played in Denmark and to the Basque Country during her concert in Spain.

Here you have the video:

.

.

And the lyrics:

Declare Independence
Björk

Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!

Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!

Start your own currency!
Make your own stamp
Protect your language

Declare independence
Don't let them do that to you
Declare independence
Don't let them do that to you

[ x4 ] Make your own flag!

[ x6 ] Raise your flag!

Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!

Damn colonists
Ignore their patronizing
Tear off their blindfolds
Open their eyes

Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!

With a flag and a trumpet
Go to the top of your
highest mountain!

[ x6 ] Raise your flag!

Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence!
Don't let them do that to you!

Raise the flag!

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Andrew Bartlett : Basquephobe of the Week

I've been waiting for an US politician to show his contempt towards Euskal Herria in the wake of Kosovo's independence declaration.

Well, it finally happened, and I want to thank Andrew Bartlett (a self appointed human rights defender) for showing the US' political class bias and ignorance.

In his post titled "Kosovo and self-determination" he states:

Perhaps not surprisingly, China is among those not recognising Kosovo. It not only fiercely opposes any type of separate recognition of Taiwan, but also stridently opposes any suggestion of self-determination for Tibet. No doubt Spain’s opposition is in part based on concerns about Basque separatists within their own state.

Notice that he aligns himself with the US official position regarding the Basque Country.

But then he goes on to say this:

I was fortunate enough to be part of a group that met with Taiwan’s President this afternoon. He spoke about the Kosovo situation. It does highlight the oddity that a place like Taiwan, which is obviously a self-governing and autonomous country, finds it difficult to have its recognition of Kosovo recognised.

Ahem, last time I checked Taiwan was still an autonomous province of China, not a sovereign state as the US wishes. That is exactly what is wrong with the US politicians, their double standard. Just like in Kosovo, they have their interest invested in achieving independence for Taiwan, but pay attention, they can care less about Tibet. The thing is, China is not Serbia and they have to be very careful on how they go about the Taiwan hot potato.

US politicians, Democrats and Republicans, they are all the same, they stick to the script and they do not see the discrepancy of calling the Basques by the term "separatists" and never using that same term with the Taiwanese.

And this guy is a Democrat, he belongs to a party that allegedly attracts open minded individuals as opposed to the Republican party.

Well, let us remember that it was a Democrat, Bill Clinton, who started the whole Kosovo issue by ordering a bombing campaign against Serbia without the UN approval, just like Bush did with Iraq. And bot John Kerry and Hillary Clinton during their respective presidential candidacy runs have estated that all Basques are terrorists. Good thing Democrats respect human rights.

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Role Model?

Kosovo is in the news, and is not all cheers and flag waving anymore.

Here you have an excerpt from an article appeared at Spiegel:

Breakaway Role Model

Separatist Movements Seek Inspiration in Kosovo

By Stephan Orth, Nadine Michel and Maike Jansen

Kosovo is turning out to be a huge source of conflict, both in the Balkans and across Europe. Six EU member states are against recognizing Kosovo's independence, because they fear it could lead to problems with their own ethnic minorities.

It was probably the most important day of Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's term in office. After issuing the new country's declaration of independence on Sunday, Thaci announced in the capital, Pristina, that his country is now an official member of the "European family."

But in the excitement of that historic moment, it probably didn't occur to him that it is sometimes a rather moody and divided family. Only a few hours later, Europe's lack of unanimity over recognizing Kosovo revealed what a heterogeneous entity Europe still is.

It also raises the question of whether such a divided Europe will ever be capable of conducting an effective joint common foreign policy. Serbia withdrew its ambassadors from Germany and Austria Wednesday, after Berlin and Vienna recognized Kosovo as an independent nation. Then, on Thursday, Serbian protesters rioted in Belgrade, setting fire to the US Embassy.

While Denmark, Austria, France and Great Britain hold similar positions on Kosovo's independence, the EU countries that have minority conflicts of their own are opposed to Kosovo's secession from Serbia. They fear that their separatist groups could choose to emulate developments in the Balkans.

But what are these conflicts, and why has resolving them proved to be so difficult? SPIEGEL ONLINE profiles six countries that are refusing to toe the EU line.

Spain: The Basques and the Catalans

The Spanish central government in Madrid fears that Basque separatists could see Kosovo's declaration of independence as a precedent and as new fuel for their cause. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Spain was one of the first EU countries to announce that it would not recognize the independence of the small Serbian province.

In early 2008, the Basque terrorist organization ETA announced that it would make its future actions dependent on the situation in Kosovo. ETA's goal is to liberate the Basque region from what it calls Spanish "occupiers" and to establish an independent, socialist Basque nation. It was established in 1959 as a military resistance group against Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who had banned the use of the Basque language and done everything in his power to suppress the Basque minority. There are 3 million Basques today, 2.5 million of them living in the northwest Spanish Basque region and the rest in the southwestern tip of France. The conflict, however, has transpired mainly on Spanish soil.

In 1979, after the end of the Franco dictatorship, the Basques were granted substantial autonomy. But this wasn't enough for ETA, which continues to fight for complete independence using bombings and intimidation campaigns as its preferred tools. The group's struggle has already claimed more than 800 lives.

Another minority group in Spain, the Catalans, also wants more than the autonomous status it was granted in 1978. About 7.2 million people live in the Catalan region in northeast Spain, which has the country's strongest economy. Catalonia has had autonomous status since the 18th century. It wasn't long ago that Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, the head of the Republican Left party and the deputy of regional President Jose Montilla, demanded a referendum on independence by 2014.

But the difference between the Basque country and Catalonia, on the one hand, and Kosovo, on the other, is that these regions, despite their continued efforts to gain independence, already enjoy substantial rights of autonomy.

In Madrid, the government's decision not to recognize Kosovo could also affect domestic politics -- general elections will take place in Spain on March 9.

Continues...

One thing though, Spain's real fear is to finally having to let go of their colonialist past. If Euskal Herria, Catalonia, Galiza and the Canaries are today longing for independence is because the Spaniards have refused to keep up with times. Yesterday it was cool to show to the world that you were able to conquer other nations, today is not so cool, you come across as an aggresive state unable to establish even level relationships with your neighbors.

Now, what is new about this article is the usage of the term "ethnic" never before applied to the Basques. Personally, I don't like it, Euskal Herria is a plural society and you do not need to have a certain DNA composition to be a Basque.

The author also misses the points when he applies the label "separatists" to the Basques. As it happens, today the Basques are separated, they live in three different political entities and two different states. If anything, the Basques are unionists, they all want to live together in the same independent and sovereign country, one that includes the seven provinces today identified as their historic territory. They never willingly joined Spain nor France, so you can not separate anything that was never part of something else by own accord.

Regarding the autonomy, let us remember that the reason why Kosovo declared independence unilaterally was because they did not accept the Serbian offer of more autonomy. So why suddenly it is so bad that the Basques do not want to settle for Spain's offer of autonomy? Remember, what you bestow you are always allowed to take away, so the Basques can not put all their hopes on an autonomy that could be removed by Madrid in the future. Remember, Aznar already threatened with such measure not too long ago.

The article misleads the readers, it tries to tell them that the conflict started when ETA decided to say enough to Franco's crimes in Euskal Herria (Franco's crimes were very similar to those of Milosevic in Kosovo by the way). That is a complete lie, the truth is that the Basques have been fighting to regain their full sovereignty for the last five hundred years.

And by the way, why does the article mentions the deaths caused by ETA but not the ones caused by Franco? Or the ones caused by the KLA/NLA?

Maybe because the violence generated by the UCK was something Washington needed to play it geopolitical games in the region and end up with complete control of the region surrounding their Bondsteel military base?

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Shared Effort

One of Spain's strategies to maintain its illegal occupation of Euskal Herria is to keep it divided. And so it is that Navarre and the Basque Autonomous Community are two different political entities.

Well, work is being done to put the imaginary border keeps the four provinces that conform Hegoalde separated (this is why Basque nationalists can not be called separatists, a term often used by the main stream media).

This not published at EITb tells us about a shared initiative to strengthen Euskara, the Basque language:

Life

First attempt

Basques, Navarrans launch plan in support of Basque language

02/22/2008

Representatives of both governments met today to work together in support of the Basque language. They will meet again next week to set the programme methodology.

Representatives of the Basque and Navarre governments met Friday morning in Vitoria-Gasteiz to reach agreements in order to work together in support of the Basque language.

Miren Azkarate, the Basque Government’s Counsellor of Culture and Carlos Pérez Nievas, the Basque Government’s Counsellor of Education, agreed that “shelving politics, they can start working together in favour of the Basque language”.

Both of them said that today’s meeting was just the beginning of a common work to “plan Basque language’s future”, to guarantee the survival of the language and to normalise the relationship of both sides concerning to linguistic matter.

By the way, there is not such a thing as Basques and Navarrans, they are all Basques as they are all Navarrans (I think the right term is Navarrese). Euskera, the Basque language, was called "lingua navarrorum" by the Romas, just so you get the historic facts.

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Eusko Flickr : Urkiola

2008-01-27 Urkiloa_005
Originally uploaded by aselluza

Sinn Féin's Solidarity

This note comes to us thanks to An Phoblacht:

MEP welcomes start of International Solidarity Week with Basque Country

SINN FÉIN MEP Bairbre de Brún has welcomed the start of International Solidarity Week with the Basque Country.

Speaking on Tuesday, 19 February Bairbre de Brún said:

“I welcome the start of International solidarity week with the Basque Country.

“Sinn Féin has argued the need to revive the Basque Peace Process. The banning of Batasuna and jailing of political representatives including democratically elected representatives is an impediment to this.

“We are now concerned that the Spanish administration has begun the process of banning two other parties, EHAK and ANV. This will further impede any search for forward progress, which requires that every effort be made to improve and encourage dialogue between all of the parties in the Basque County and the Spanish government.

“Central to this is the rights of voters to have access to parties and political representatives of their choice.

“I would once again repeat the call for genuine dialogue and engagement. This can be the only way forward if a proper process of conflict resolution is to be put in place.”

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Savory Glory

This article about Basque cuisine was published at NJ:

Basque in glory: Savory regional cuisine prepared with passion

by Janet Leonardi

Wednesday February 20, 2008, 11:00 AM

The cuisine of the Basque country -- in the western Pyrenees straddling northern Spain and southeastern France -- just could be the most glorious food you've never heard of.

At least, not in detail unless you are a food professional or a seasoned world traveler.

Think of delicate veal scallops simmering in sweet red pepper, tomato and cognac-infused piperade sauce, or succulent lamb shanks slowly roasted in green-tinged olive oil and aromatic garlic.

Don't miss the steaming bowls of hearty stew with tender chunks of fresh tuna and pearly potatoes.

The culinary surprizes of the area known as le Pays Basque -- or the Basque country -- has long been acclaimed in Europe and regarded as one of the world's best kept epicurean secrets. But times are changing. There's an ever heightening interest in regional cooking and both the word and taste of the Basques are spreading, quickly but quietly.

"We Basque are passionate about our cooking," says Maria G. Aurre, proprietor of Casa Vasca, a family-run restaurant in Newark's Ironbound district. The restaurant name translates to Basque House, and Aurre, who grew up in the Spanish province of Bizkaia, still follows tradition, serving classic home-style dishes, getting the ingredients fresh from local markets each day.

"In Basque, every meal is a celebration meant to be shared with others. When you visit there, the first thing someone will do is invite you to eat," Aurre says. "There's old Basque and new Basque cuisine, but the secret lies in using quality ingredients carefully cooked to perfection."

Food -- in both its preparation and enjoyment -- almost borders on obsession there, and every man and woman, wealthy and working class alike, cooks. Many belong to local gastronomical societies and ancestral recipes are cherished, lovingly passed down from generation to generation.

The area's Pyrenees Mountains, fertile Ebro valley and curving Bay of Biscay provide a virtual food landscape, affording its residents every opportunity to hone their cooking skills.

Just some of the staples of this satisfying yet simple cuisine are prime lean and cured meats, farm fresh vegetables, creamy cheese custom-made in mountain caves and a myriad of seafood, ranging from anchovies, hake and spider crabs to lobster, cockles and scallops.

Brilliant red chili peppers, unique to the area, are strung like badges of honor outside Basque homes throughout summer and are milder in flavor than the chilis we know here. One of the Basque's most popular sauces is piperade, a tasty saute of red peppers, onions, garlic and olive oil that is served alone, with scrambled eggs or any number of different meats and fish.

Humble white beans, another staple, are elevated to new heights when stewed with lamb, juicy ribs and hunks of chorizo sausage. Extra-virgin olive oil is the region's oil of choice because of its availability and high concentration of flavor; spices are fresh and, like salt, are sprinkled sparingly.

Carlos Izaguirre, sous chef at La Campagna Restaurant in Cherry Hill, is of Basque heritage and teaches a class on Basque country cooking. "Another very popular Basque food is Bayonne ham. Its flavor is so special because local pigs feed on chestnuts, which are abundant in the region, giving the pork a subtle chestnut taste. We also use chestnuts to make simple purees which accompany lamb, pork and fish dishes," hs says.

Izaguirre admits Basque cuisine has undergone some changes over time, but the basics remain the same. "It was once thought of as poor man's cuisine, but not anymore. And with the growth of ethnic markets and the internet, ingredients for this style of cuisine are easily obtainable."

The Basque were always great fishermen with many recipes originating from crews on fishing boats who cooked their catch either fresh at sea or dried it in salt. Salt cod is a signature and if legend is correct the Basque were responsible for getting the Mediterranean world hooked on this dried specialty.

Bacalao al pil-pil is classic Basque fare made by simmering dried salt cod in an olive oil and garlic emulsion that is expertly combined with the fish gelatin to produce a light creamy sauce.

Aurre says even though this dish seems deceptively simple to make, "It's difficult to cook because only achieving the perfect temperature and carefully shaking the olive oil will produce the desired mayonnaise like sauce."

"There are at least 50 or 60 more recipes for making salt cod dishes," says Ignacio Cenicacelaya, chef/proprietor of Jai Alai, a Basque restaurant in Dover.

Cenicacelaya, who grew up in a Basque family of restaurateurs, says fish of this region have unique flavor. "It's attributable to the sea balance resulting from the North Atlantic Ocean meeting the Bay of Biscay. The water is more oxygenated which gives fish an extra boost of taste."

Delicate baby eels known as angula are another specialty often served piping hot in small casseroles with olive oil, crushed garlic and red pimiento. Snowy white squid are served in velvety black ink sauce enhanced with tomato, garlic, olive oil and cognac. Plump jumbo shrimp sizzle in a garlic-infused sherry sauce laced with saffron.

Clams, scallops, mussels, red snapper, mackerel, hake, tuna, sole, swordfish, skate, monkfish, lobster and crabs are just some of the other popular fish either grilled or steamed.

Cenicacelaya explains the real beauty of Basque cooking is that it's natural and organic. "We allow a food's true flavor to come through because when you have something good you don't need to do very much to it. We never use water in cooking but rather add wine, sherry, brandy or cognac to make fish and meat sauces and stocks."

And one cannot mention Basque cuisine without mentioning its boldly flavored pintxos, the Basque version of tapas. Pintxos here are the ultimate finger food, set out on bars across the region. You never have to order but rather just walk in, take a plate and sample from the tantalizing selection on display.

Washed down with a glass of local wine, these small rafts of crusty bread hold a wealth of topping treasures ranging from sizzling parsley-filled mushroom caps and grilled eggplant to chopped ham, stuffed peppers or a dozen other choices, all held in place by small wood skewers topped with an olive.

From zesty pintxos beginnings to mouth-watering dessert endings which can include golden apple and almond tarts; deep mauve Rioja-poached pears; arroz con leche, a creamy rice pudding or glistening ramekins of custardy creme caramel, Basque country cooking is in a class by itself.

And there's no better time than the present to start celebrating its glory.

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Eusko Flickr: Cutting The Sky

Cutting the sky
Originally uploaded by OiES