"The Peace Process has ended" can ETA leave now?
In the closing weeks of 2006 an opinion poll in the Basque region found over 65% of people there found a return to terrorism "most likely". In the closing weeks of 2006 Spanish prime minister Zapatero said he would carry personal responsibility if the process failed. In the closing week of 2006 a french youngster was held captive whilst his father's van was hijacked & then filled with explosive & driven to Madrid's airport where it was parked on the 29th. The next day 2 Equadorian migrants went to work just as usual & didn't get out of their cars in time to avoid being the first people murdered by ETA in several years. In the last 24 hours after an awkward silence of 3 days, the minister of the Interior has said the "peace process" is "broken" & "not to be saved".
Diego Estacio Civizapa an Equadorian citizen resident in Madrid killed by ETA on his way to work for the Basque peace process.
In the last 12 hours the man noted Belfast cleric Alex Reid called the "Basque Gerry Adams" in Spring time has said "no-one expected the bomb". In the next 50 hours ETA will make a statement, maybe put out their flags & put on the white masks & make a video & tell us all about it. again.
___________________________________________________
well I did expect the bomb & most people I knew did too. Maybe that's why we're not in government.
In fact I first raised the possibilty that ETA Would return when their monthly statements got "that terse" in August & though I wrote then I could not "second guess them" by Winter is was obviously "just round the corner".
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77962
I am aware that I have written more words & offered more non-partisan analysis of the Basque situation & that of various nationalisms in the Spanish state in the last years than any other Irish person. But I did it on indymedia ireland, so it doesn't count for much to many. & so.., I am also aware that Ireland has provided 2
authors of good books on the Basque situation before the last ceasefire. One by Paddy Woodworth of the Irish Times & the other by Eoin O Broin of Sinn Fein. ( & both good books too)
Here are some of my favourite articles on the lead-up to the "peace process". Let us not forget that ETA had not killed anyone for a long time before the "ceasefire to end all ceasefires" last March.
"Laying the table" brought us through the parallels between the IRA & ETA processes & multiple ceasefires from 1998 to 2005.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69891
The Absent reminded us of all the The conflict in Ireland from 1969 and 2001which saw 3523 killed & the deaths in the Spanish state from 1960 to December 28th 2006. There were 1278 names. There are now 1280.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74873
The Ceasefire was reported here :-
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75012
I am aware that for a year the optimism felt by both Spanish & Basques that Europe's oldest terrorist conflict finally end with the support of :- Ireland & her government & her Sinn Fein, the UK & Blair, the EU & the praying pope in Rome copper-fastened a change in language & attitude in Ireland's mainstream commercial & state media. Here is how RTE is diplomatically trying to report the latest twist. oh sure lads - the same happened to oirland & engurland with Canary wharf & that bus-bomb in Aldgate & that coffin carried by Adams & that shoot to kill of the lilly white Ra-boy in London for planting a bomb on Charing X road which didn't go off...., sure we all loved the process & lived happily ever after because of it.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0103/spain.html
Because today Batasuna through it's trade union leader Joseba Alvarez says the process is not over. They're still talking to some other constitutional parties about peace & stuff. Yes indeed, they're called EHAK & they were the last fudge to give them representation.
c/f "How the Basques voted & not voted" http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69442
& maybe the process is not over because as all the wise people really know - the process was always about more than ETA. I told you so here http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79970
Well. here goes........................
Batasuna want to contest elections. That's called democratic involvement. They're not going to contest elections after ETA's bomb. The PSOE government are now brought back to the "anti-terrorism pact" (with the PP whose policy seems to have been well reflected in the Judiciary over the last year) or a similar pact with all constitutional parties.
Batasuna want prisoners brought back to the Basque & trials to end & someone to give Mr Iñaki De Juana Chaos a reason to eat food again.....,
Meanwhile:-
The minute of silence in Barcelona (where I live) was disturbed yesterday by right wing elements both jeering the socialist government & blaming the March 11th bomb on ETA. "again".
But the many Ecuadorians resident in Spain & many more back home in Ecuador would just like to think Diego Estacio Civizapa & Carlos Alonso Palate went to Heaven without too much pain & that the men & women in the white masks won't go shooting themselves in the foot & killing south american migrant workers again. & to that effect their own media has just rewritten ETA from a liberation movement to a terrorist grouping & the Ecuadorians have convoked a march for January 13th under the slogan "Peace is possible". Yes it is. It still is. But not with some people at the table.
REST IN PEACE
Carlos Alonso Palate an Equadorian citizen resident in Madrid killed by ETA on his way to work for the Basque peace process.
`Why do you sit out here all alone?' said Alice, not wishing to begin an argument...
Why, because there's nobody with me!' cried Humpty Dumpty. `Did you think I didn't know the answer to that? Ask another.'
international |
racism & migration related issues |
opinion/analysis
Wednesday January 03, 2007 17:17
by iosaf
barcelona
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Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 4 3 2 1"...my belief first expressed in this article & comments http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79566 that ETA & the Basque Abertzale movement have not a unified leadership or can not provide trusted inter-locutors capable of negotiation. In that article I pointed out the obvious splits in the abertzale movement..."
I'm totally surprised by that comment. It seems u know many things...yep, many things that are not true !! What the hell do you know about that?U said nothing that proves that ! Don't be eejit and think for living in Barcelona, reading & listening to the spanish media makes u an expert.What u read is far from reality mate...
I've been reading some of your previous posts, and I've guessed u read/listen to too much right shite...Nobody tried to set 2 local policemen on fire, they tried to arrest the young boys.They had a wee fight, and the boys (or kids as u like to call them) managed to run away.(Witnesses say it.)And the two young men that were arrested a few days later, had nothing to do with that incident.
Nobody wanted those two ecuatorian men to die (read how Arnaldo started his statement after the bomb, ETA made 3 warnings, the 1st one an hour before it exploded...).
And wanna make u a few corrections:
-the 2 Equadorian migrants didn't go to work, they went to pick up some mates/family to the airport. As it was early in the morning, they stayed sleeping in their car (that was parked in the airport's parking )while other mates/family members went to meet them at the airport. - "...didn't get out of their cars in time to avoid being the first people murdered...." don't talk shite, they were sleeping in their cars(their bodies were found covered by blankets)
-"..Those bombs are presumed to have been made by a group of ETA suspects arrested on December 23rd 2005.."So according to u a bomb is made a year before it's used ?!¿
-"..., there has been a bomb & two finds of prepared car bombs..." Shite !! They've found just explosives.None of the 3 guys arrested in December in Frances were born in the late 80's.The youngest one was born in 1982.
-Joseba Alvarez is not Batasuna's trade union leader , he is the head of Batasuna's International department.
-"9 provinces" , where did u get that from? U don't know what u say, do u?
-"... de Juana Chaos authored a series of articles calling for the continuation & escalation of ETA's armed campaign..." Bullshit !! Have u read any of both articles... (make me a favour and read them , will you ? )
Gallizo (in English) http://webmasterchaos.tripod.com/id25.html
The Shield (in English) http://webmasterchaos.tripod.com/id23.html
Don't know what wrong... ur spanish can't be too good or u're not properly informed...
Next time send ur article to Interviu, Tiempo , La razon or El Mundo, they are used to publish this kind of articles...
Today Rajoy the leader of the opposition met with Zapatero for an emergency briefing on the ETA thing. They talked for over two hours.
The last time they met (& they hate each other) in December ZP said if the process failed it would be his fault.
Right wing polls find 6 out of 7 Spaniards blame ZP. Elections today the PP (right wing) would win.
Otegi (the leader of HB) has appealed that ETA return to the ceasefire.
the left (IU & ICV) agree with me that neither he nor the ETA interolucuytors called the shots.
he really does want to "call the shots" again.
I put it this way :-
Who calls the shots?
Since then, there has been a bomb & two finds of prepared car bombs, one yesterday & another today. Those bombs are presumed to have been made by a group of ETA suspects arrested on December 23rd 2005. They were 3 young people who had rented a house in French Catalonia describing themselves as "writers" just indeed as "Mikel Antza" (Mikel Albizu born 1961) one of those thought to have been a "chief of staff" of ETA described himself. ( he was arrested October 3rd 2004) But they were mostly born in the late 1980's. This to my mind means a new generation is involved which is why I have drawn parallels in the text above to the lilly white phenomona which led to the death of IRA volunteer Edward O'Brien of Wexford whose "armed action" seemed to jar so much with the northern led military command structure then committed to some sort of negoatiation with the British State.
& so I have no qualms or worries in expecting the Irish & Basque resident in Ireland community who read this site & ought be involved in any "Peace Process" (& support it) in reiterating my belief first expressed in this article & comments http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79566 that ETA & the Basque Abertzale movement have not a unified leadership or can not provide trusted inter-locutors capable of negotiation. In that article I pointed out the obvious splits in the abertzale movement. Which are as important as the obvious divisions between the socialist government of the Spanish State & the deeply conservative Judiciary & Security apparatus..,
Thus it is no surprise that today the number 2 of the Spanish socialist government admitted that the information available to the Spanish state in its negotiations with ETA (which took place in early in December in both Oslo & Switzerland) was flawed. they weren't talking to the right people......................
Zapatero will speak to the Spanish Congress on the 15th of the month as to which way it will go fom the Spanish state. Meanwhile it would seem quite natural that all marches & concentrations in support of the abertzale political viewpoint or agenda have been declared illegal. In this, as much as the nom-e-guerre titles & internal bulletins & videotapes do we see how different ETA & HB & other groups are to the IRA & Irish republican movement. Maybe older readers will recall the emergence of Mr Kelly or course again the career of Donaldson?
quite.
sin é.
Who calls the shots?
teh family of Carlos Palate have received the remains of their son. He was flown back a "posthumous spanish citizen".
The Ecuadorian army were present to take his remains with honours to the church.
I was in London when one of the IRA ceasefires ended & one of the peace processes with it - I heard Canary Wharf explode. I marvelled at it for a long after, I lived miles away but on the river Thames & the sound of bang & breaking glass carried all that distance in the hollow provided by the river in the centre of London. I remember a double decker bus blow up in Aldgate & the photos of the Wexford lad whose bomb they said had prematurely exploded.
Just a while after I was one of those who wasn't evacuated properly from another street in London where a bomb failed to explode. I marvelled at it for a long time after, I worked within breaking glass & bang distance. Not long after the English police shot another young lad "to kill" & a few funerals later the Irish republican movement with its armed struggle tradition appeared to galvanise their resolve & blah blah & work to the light. Thankfully the supply of (angry young / passionate youth) prepared to take up the cudgel were well directed into other activities. painting postboxes & taking up petitions to parliaments..,
I'd like to publish a phrase I haven't read or heard in years or months of jargonised platitude & cliche in the mild hope that it may be pondered not only by the usual readership but by others in the horizontal media relationship. root causes of conflict
{ The illustration of course appeared on many of the Sunday Paper series of articles by myself & on the article "Laying the Table" which I published to link the Irish & Basque process (or processes) more clearly than mere trite comparisons. It was the day Paisley met with Blair to to see what hope there lay for power sharing between the geography party led by Adams & the doomsday cult of ulster protestantism led by Paisley for lasting peace. (Of those three men incidently, only one will ever get a peerage, Tony Blair someday indeed will bring his skewed eye and wife in mantilla to the Lords, where as will we never ever see either Lord Adams of the Falls or Lord Paisley of the Shankill. Coz that's not how things work).
& of course there were the Basques. Lovely people. They're just like Ecuadorians & Spaniards in that they live mostly on the coast or up mountains & are very open to manipulation.
So I'll leave you with less wondering about the Peace Process/es in Ireland & just give you two thoughts on the Basque Peace Process/es. The majority constitutional nationlist party of the Basque's spokesman asked yesterday "why if for months the abertzales said there was no process & nothing happening why now there are bombs all over the shop are they so insistent there is one left to save?" & on the other side of attitude - if the Spanish state rivals both British & Israeli for rapid evacuation systems "why is it thought Madrid airport did not clear the area "completely"? I hope you like I marvel at how much news & media these Peace Process/es produce... almost as much as war.
are we the great lumpen intellectuals ready for war again?