Batasuna leader, Arnaldo Otegi, spoke in front of the city hall at the end of the demonstration.
Batasuna spokesman, Arnaldo Otegi, called upon Spanish Government and socialist party PSOE to “dare to dialogue politically and publicly with leftwing nationalists’, in a “multiparty’ dialogue and to propose “which his alternative is’.
Likewise, he warned that, in the peace process, neither ETA nor street violence must be the central issue, but attention should be paid to the parties and the Spanish Government that are constantly attacking the leftist nationalists.
Otegi´s speech took place in front of the Bilbao´s city hall at the end of the protest in favour of self-determination that gathered more than 30 thousand people in the capital of Bilbao.
Batasuna´s spokesman has demanded that “the responsibles of the repression must cease State attacks toward nationalists’, he added.
“We just wants Spanish Govt. And PSOE to face up one challenge, to dare to dialogue politically and publicly with leftwing nationalists in a multilateral dialogue and to dare to say this country which their real alternative is, how you think the conflict must be solved’, he emphasized.
Police presence has been notable as judge Garzon ordered Home Department not to allow any symbol related to leftist nationalist organization Askatasuna.
Otegi: "We commit ourselves to work until the end" of process
Spokesman of Batasuna has stressed that armed group ETA has shown reliable evidence of being willing to "find a solution to the conflict".
Spokesman of Batasuna Arnaldo Otegi stated on Friday that the Leftists "commit ourselves to work till the end" of the peace process and the political normalisation in the Basque Country.
In an interview on Basque public TV ETB, Otegi explained that his yesterday's statements were "categorical" in order to "warn citizens of the state of the situation". He also noted that it is already five months that the process is blocked due to the lack of any improvement in the creation of the negotiating table, as well as to the persecution the Basque Nationalists are undergoing. He considered that the 12-and a-half-year sentence to Iñaki De Juan Chaos is "the last straw that broke the camels' back".
"Despite all of this, we will carry on working. Channels are still open", he said. "To stabilise the peace process, it is necessary an agreement among Basque parties on the "methods and the political agenda for the multilateral dialogue".
Otegi maintained that ETA "has not broken anything" and has given "reliable evidence" of being willing to "look for a democratic solution to the conflict".
The Batasuna leader has warned Zapatero that "he cannot be friend of PP by beating the Nationalist Leftists day and night, since this way there is no process".
Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi has warned Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero that if he "adopts a stance similar to the Conservatives" and wants to prove that he is "harder and firmer" with the Nationalist Leftists than PP; then, "there is no process". He has also criticised their lack of "historic ambition".
Otegi has stressed that the 12-year sentence to Basque prisoner Iñaki de Juana Chaos "is an ancient tool to make war and to humiliate people; that's to say, what they have been doing so far. However, those instruments are not useful when trying to mend things and this is a sample of it".
"This way the process is unlikely, it is impossible", he has added. "Zapatero perfectly knows that there are things that, as what has happened with Iñaki de Juana, are aggravating the situation every day and there is only one way out, which is consolidating the process", Otegi has assured.
88% OF THE BASQUES BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE
11/14/2006
Half of the Basques think that the Basque Country is a nation. The 45% will back the country's independence in a referendum.
The survey that was carried out in October discloses that eight out of ten Basques believe that they have "the right to decide their future", a majority opinion in all the three territories of the autonomous region. Moreover, the 66% considers that the future should be "just a decision of the Basques", that's to say, that future should exclusively be defined by the Basques. Just two out of ten people think that future should be defined "among Basques and Spaniards".
In view of the possibility to carry out a referendum on independence, the 45% of those polled would support the matter while 25% would vote against it. The final result would be then in the hands of the undecided voters, since the 30% have not got clear their position or they just would not vote.
It is outstanding that half of the population (52%) considers the Basque Country to be a nation, being the figures for this topic in Navarre a 32% and in Iparralde (Northern Basque Country in the French State) a 34%.
The data regarding the feeling of belonging to the Basque Country is also remarkable. All citizens think that their province belongs to the Basque Country. According to the survey, 62% of the Basques state that there is no shadow of doubt that "Navarre is part of the Basque Country", although in Navarre this feeling is lower. A 49% of the Navarrans consider that Navarre is not part of the whole. The feeling of belonging is also greater in Iparralde.
Gizaker carried out the over-the-phone survey to 1,000 citizens from the autonomous region, Navarre and Iparralde between 18th and 25th October.
BATASUNA INSISTS GOVERNMENT MUST STOP HARASSING LEFTISTS
11/14/2006
Pernando Barrena, a leader of Batasuna, asserted that whereas ETA declared a cease-fire in March in the interest of reaching peace, the Spanish government has not answered in kind.
Batasuna rejected on Tuesday government calls to rein in growing street violence, insisting the government must first stop harassing pro-independence activists.
Pernando Barrena, a leader of the outlawed party Batasuna, asserted that whereas ETA declared a cease-fire in March in the interest of reaching peace, the Spanish government has not answered in kind.
He blamed the government for a string of recent court decisions against ETA members, including one last week that sentenced a jailed ETA member to another 13 years in prison for writing two newspaper articles deemed to have contained terrorist threats.
Barrena, speaking at a news conference in the Basque city of San Sebastian, said this amounted to violence by the government and it "cannot demand what it is not willing to give.''
With the nascent peace process at a stalemate, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero - who had said he would negotiate with ETA - said this week that no talks are possible until all ETA-related violence comes to a halt.