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'Peaceful' ETA admits fatal blast at airport

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Published Date: 10 January 2007
By ARANTZA GOYOAGA
IN BILBAO, SPAIN
THE Basque separatist group ETA said yesterday it stood by a permanent ceasefire declared in March, despite claiming responsibility for a car bomb that killed two people at Madrid Airport at the New Year.
The group blamed the government for the breakdown in the peace process and said it did not mean to kill anyone in the blast that destroyed a five-storey car park at Terminal 4 on 30 December - its first fatal attack since May 2003.

"ETA affirms that the permanent ceasefire started on 24 March, 2006, still stands. It claims responsibility for the attack at Barajas (airport)," ETA said in a note to Gara newspaper, the way the group usually makes its statements.

Since the bomb, the Spanish government has called off a peace process which many hoped would end ETA's four-decade campaign for independence in the Basque country, an area that stretches across the French-Spanish border.

ETA blamed the Socialist government for "continually creating obstacles to the peace process" and accused the Basque nationalist regional government of siding with Madrid.

It also said prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's team had not kept its commitments and called for an end to police and political pressure.



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  • Last Updated: 09 January 2007 10:45 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: ETA
 
1

Gnasher,

10/01/2007 02:45:58

Ah nice - the murdering pigs of ETA didn't mean to kill anyone with their bomb. They'll stop doing it if the police stop investigating murders.

The poor oppressed wee souls.

2

Aesop,

Socialist Republic of Leith 10/01/2007 12:47:23

Gnasher - what you seem to understand about Basque politics is evidently drip fed from Spanish state propaganda. Grow up or wise up.

The Basque Country is under military occupation by 35,000 Spanish state security agents. Of course the people there will fight back until the Basque Country is demilitarised ON BOTH SIDES and the the Basques have the normal democratic rights of other European citizens.

3

Mago,

Basque Country 10/01/2007 18:45:21

Hey Aesop.

I've been living in the Basque country for the last ten years. There are some violent madmen who have the support of less than 5% of the population and an associated political party which has 10- 15 % of the vote.

The vast majority of (sane) Basques would echo Gnasher's comments above.

"Under Occupation" - don't make me laugh.

4

Mago,

Basque Country 11/01/2007 08:06:55

Yes, Batasuna has been outlawed. Basically because they have refused to condemn ETA's murdering tactics; indeed every political party in Spain now has to formally confirm that it is not in favour of violence to further its objectives. If Batusuna were to formally condemn violence it would become a legal party.

Nevertheless, I personally think that making the party illegal was an error on many levels. It's not democratic, it allows the violent minority to claim they are victims and leaves the government nobody to negotiate with.

However, despite being apparently illegal the leaders of Batusuna continue to walk the streets, hold meetings with other political parties, give interviews to newspapers, hold press conferences etc, etc. Admittedly, their technically illegal status does give them some difficulty, but I can't think of a single person who has been prosecuted for being a member of Batasuna.

That leaves the State in the worst of all possible situations - they've got a law but are unwilling to really enforce it.

Furthermore, as Batasuna is illegal, the government refuses to talk to it - but instead talks to the (even more illegal) terrorist group ETA.

So, I'm not a fan of the Spanish government either.

But that doesn't mean that murdering swine who kill innocent people by putting bombs in car parks are justified.

The nature of my job puts me in contact with a large number of ordinary Basque people and, while I would not pretend to speak for all of them, I can confidently say that a lo of them would agree with the above. I can equally confidently say that, because of the ETA-inspired climate of fear in the Basque Country, they will only say this to me in one-to-one conversations behind closed doors.


 

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