Towards Peace In The Basque Country - En Lucha statement
Submitted by samrobson on Mon, 03/04/2006 - 19:40.
The permanent ceasefire declared by ETA on 24th March 2006 is a real, positive and necessary step, which has boosted hopes for peace in the Basque Country. An end to the armed struggle means that Basques can regain the initiative, as ETA’s military strategy has brought much frustration and suffering. ETA’s new approach means that the Zapatero government will now have to shift towards taking the measures necessary for a successful peace process.
The first steps the government takes must be aimed at making political activity normal. An end to the constant attacks against Batasuna activists and to the criminalization of the nationalist left under the Anti-terrorist Pact cannot be delayed. Also, the Parties Act must be repealed. This would involve lifting the ban on Batasuna at once, an indispensable precondition for all political forces being able to take part in the peace process with the right to defend their respective positions on an equal footing.
The prosecutions which the High Court has already embarked upon against various Basque social organisations with the 18/98 trial and against prominent left nationalist leaders such as Arnaldo Otegi or any intensification of one-sided legal repression can only serve to destroy the goodwill needed for any peace process. The courts cannot be allowed to continue being an obstacle.
The declaration by ETA reaffirms its commitment to a process of dual negotiations, adopted with minor differences here or there by the vast majority of the nationalist left. One set of talks between ETA and the government would deal with demilitarisation, and the other would see all political parties involved in the search for a political solution. The process will be long and complex. Decisive to the advance of the whole process will be that these two sets of talks take place at the same time. In political terms, the establishment of a serious dialogue will mean not evading the issue at the heart of the conflict: the right of the Basque people to decide their own future. The securing of peace will only have real significance if it is based on respect for the wishes of the population of the Basque Country. In other words, recognition of the right to self-determination.
In view of the ferocity shown by the right towards the mild reform of the Catalan statute, we can expect the same attitude towards the possibilities for the future in the Basque Country. The Partido Popular (People´s Party, PP) will no doubt do everything possible to ensure that any peace process is a failure. Playing down the importance of the ceasefire and trying to minimise its impact and consequences are just the first steps in the resistance they are likely to display. Overcoming the PP’s offensive, which dovetails with the pressures that will be exerted by the most conservative elements of the state apparatus, will not be easy. It is essential, though, if we are to avoid the hopes for peace evaporating with the passing of time. The Zapatero government will be obliged to take some brave steps and not cede to these pressures from the PP or to reactionary pressure from within his own Socialist Party (PSOE).
Making the peace process irreversible will depend on various factors, especially the extent of popular mobilisation in favour of peace. The development of a movement in favour of a process, which is democratic, based on solidarity between the various peoples which make up the Spanish state and designed to broaden their civil and political rights, will be fundamental. The possibility of reaching a situation of peace and liberty is intrinsically linked, not just to the recognition of national rights in the Basque Country, but also to overcoming the restrictions on democratic rights imposed throughout the Spanish state in the post-Franco Transition.
Constructing a movement of real strength will demand a political basis broad enough to unite major political, social and trade union organisations. The role of the anti-capitalist left, and its determination to win both peace and the right to decide of the Basque people, will be of real importance in this process. Building such a movement is the challenge we have to take up as En Lucha.
En Lucha, Spanish state, March 2006.
The first steps the government takes must be aimed at making political activity normal. An end to the constant attacks against Batasuna activists and to the criminalization of the nationalist left under the Anti-terrorist Pact cannot be delayed. Also, the Parties Act must be repealed. This would involve lifting the ban on Batasuna at once, an indispensable precondition for all political forces being able to take part in the peace process with the right to defend their respective positions on an equal footing.
The prosecutions which the High Court has already embarked upon against various Basque social organisations with the 18/98 trial and against prominent left nationalist leaders such as Arnaldo Otegi or any intensification of one-sided legal repression can only serve to destroy the goodwill needed for any peace process. The courts cannot be allowed to continue being an obstacle.
The declaration by ETA reaffirms its commitment to a process of dual negotiations, adopted with minor differences here or there by the vast majority of the nationalist left. One set of talks between ETA and the government would deal with demilitarisation, and the other would see all political parties involved in the search for a political solution. The process will be long and complex. Decisive to the advance of the whole process will be that these two sets of talks take place at the same time. In political terms, the establishment of a serious dialogue will mean not evading the issue at the heart of the conflict: the right of the Basque people to decide their own future. The securing of peace will only have real significance if it is based on respect for the wishes of the population of the Basque Country. In other words, recognition of the right to self-determination.
In view of the ferocity shown by the right towards the mild reform of the Catalan statute, we can expect the same attitude towards the possibilities for the future in the Basque Country. The Partido Popular (People´s Party, PP) will no doubt do everything possible to ensure that any peace process is a failure. Playing down the importance of the ceasefire and trying to minimise its impact and consequences are just the first steps in the resistance they are likely to display. Overcoming the PP’s offensive, which dovetails with the pressures that will be exerted by the most conservative elements of the state apparatus, will not be easy. It is essential, though, if we are to avoid the hopes for peace evaporating with the passing of time. The Zapatero government will be obliged to take some brave steps and not cede to these pressures from the PP or to reactionary pressure from within his own Socialist Party (PSOE).
Making the peace process irreversible will depend on various factors, especially the extent of popular mobilisation in favour of peace. The development of a movement in favour of a process, which is democratic, based on solidarity between the various peoples which make up the Spanish state and designed to broaden their civil and political rights, will be fundamental. The possibility of reaching a situation of peace and liberty is intrinsically linked, not just to the recognition of national rights in the Basque Country, but also to overcoming the restrictions on democratic rights imposed throughout the Spanish state in the post-Franco Transition.
Constructing a movement of real strength will demand a political basis broad enough to unite major political, social and trade union organisations. The role of the anti-capitalist left, and its determination to win both peace and the right to decide of the Basque people, will be of real importance in this process. Building such a movement is the challenge we have to take up as En Lucha.
En Lucha, Spanish state, March 2006.