Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Ceist:59 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the EU has a role in assisting the development of a conflict resolution process in the Basque country. [7291/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 22 February 2006
Ceisteanna (17)
Freagraí ó Béal (9 píosaí cainte)
The issue of whether the European Union has a role in assisting the development of a conflict resolution process in the Basque Country is solely for the Spanish Government to decide. I am not aware of such an approach on the part of the Spanish Government to the European Union. The Government will be happy to offer support in any way deemed helpful by the Spanish Government, in the event that it decided to seek such assistance.
As the Deputy will be aware, in December 2004 the Basque regional parliament approved a plan proposed by the Basque Prime Minister to replace the existing autonomy agreement for the region, which dates from 1979, with a new agreement which would give the Basque Country the status of free association with Spain. The Basque Prime Minister's plan would also allow the people of the Basque Country to decide by referendum whether they wished to remain a part of Spain. In February 2005, this plan was rejected by the Spanish Parliament. However, at the same time, Prime Minister Zapatero indicated his government's willingness to discuss a new statute for the Basque Country.
In May 2005 the Spanish Parliament approved a resolution proposed by the government authorising it to enter into dialogue with ETA, which has been included on the EU's list of terrorist organisations since December 2001. The resolution makes it clear that the focus of the dialogue will be on bringing an end to violence. It states that terrorism is totally incompatible with democracy and that violence cannot yield a political reward. The resolution requires ETA to renounce violence before the process of dialogue can begin, and states that ETA must dissolve itself and lay down arms.
As regards the discussions on wider political issues, the resolution also stresses the principle of engaging solely with the legitimately elected representatives of the Basque people. To date, however, ETA has not abandoned the use of violence nor committed itself to exclusively peaceful and democratic means. As I have made clear on previous occasions, there can be no place in our democracies for the use, or threat of the use, of force. I am sure the Deputy and all who have the interests of the Basque people at heart will share the hope that there will be early progress on this matter which will, I hope, assist the Spanish Government in the opening of negotiations with elected representatives in the period ahead.
I welcome the Minister's answer. In January of this year the Spanish Prime Minister spoke optimistically of the progress he expected to make in the peace process. Batasuna, a political party, has restated that dialogue is the way forward and there is widespread speculation within the region that some degree of conflict is still ongoing between the Spanish authorities and the Basque nationalists. However, only last month a Batasuna congress to discuss the peace process was banned and a mass rally, which included representatives of most of the Basque independent political parties was held against that ban.
Given our mutual recognition that dialogue is central to building a just and lasting peace, a common understanding gained from our experience in Ireland, does the Minister agree that the ongoing banning and criminalisation of one partner to the peace process in the Basque Country is not conducive to the progression of the peace process? Can we have a viable peace process when one of the main political parties involved has been declared illegal? Does the Minister believe the inclusion of Batasuna on the EU list of terrorist organisations is conducive to assisting development of the Basque peace process? Does he agree it is unacceptable to deny a community its fundamental rights to assembly, free speech, political association and political representation? If he agrees, will he state his objects to the Macrosummario summary to the Spanish authorities? The Macrosummario is the ongoing trial of 90 political and social activists which is denying these people their fundamental civil and political rights.
I accept that the Deputy has been in the Basque Country on a number of occasions with regard to the move towards a peace process. Obviously we would welcome any assistance he and his colleagues could give in that respect. As the Deputy knows, ETA has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since December 2001 and by a unanimous decision of EU member states, Batasuna was added to this list on 4 June 2003. In taking the decision, the Council was satisfied that Batasuna was a terrorist organisation and that it was merely an alias for ETA. The Deputy knows the situation well. On Saturday last, 18 February, ETA issued a public statement. While it called for dialogue and negotiation as being the only way forward, unfortunately the text of its statement also attempted to justify the group's recent bombing campaign.
The current Spanish Government has made it clear that the only type of communication from ETA in which it has any interest would be one which would renounce violence and show a desire to move on a clearly political path. Prime Minister Zapatero has been as accommodating as he can be within the normal democratic principles in order to reach out a hand to assist people in ETA and Batasuna who may wish to move exclusively into a political realm. In a recent interview last weekend he indicated there is a clear road map starting from the May 2005 parliamentary resolution which in effect calls on ETA to abandon its arms, to renounce violence and to engage in political talks.
Obviously there is no understanding among the Spanish authorities of the peace process that has taken place in Ireland. Will the Minister use his good offices to impress on the Spanish authorities that banning a political party is not conducive to encouraging dialogue or progress in its peace process? Looking at the yardstick of our peace process, setting unattainable goals at this stage is not conducive to that. Batasuna is a political party, has a role and should be encouraged in the role it has played over the past months in trying to ensure all groups within the Basque Country are united in the same aims of a wider peace process.
I repeat that all EU members unanimously decided and agreed that Batasuna was merely a cover or alias for ETA. Accordingly, calling on the Spanish Government to revoke the banning of Batasuna is futile.
Does the Minister support that ban?
The Deputy referred to our own peace process and there are similarities between many peace processes happening around the world. In our instance, however, the peace process was a joint initiative between the British and Irish Governments. The Spanish Government regards its process as an internal matter, has not involved any other government or to the best of my knowledge asked any other EU country, including Ireland, to assist. If the Irish Government were asked by the Spanish authorities to assist in any way, we would be willing to help.
This is not just an internal matter. It has an international dimension.
We will not go there.