THE CHOREOGRAPHY for the much-heralded end of Eta advanced another half-step yesterday. The group’s former political supporters in the banned Herri Batasuna party fully endorsed the call made by Monday’s international peace conference in San Sebastián for a “definitive end” to Eta’s armed campaign for Basque independence.
The once-hawkish Batasuna leader Rufi Etxeberria said that he expected a “positive response” from Eta, which stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Basque country and freedom). But he left open the question of timing, saying only he hoped Eta would respond at “a suitable moment”.
Since a change of government in Madrid is very likely after general elections barely a month away, a lot hangs on when, as well as if, Eta finally hangs up its guns.
The ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) kept its options open on the peace conference, allowing two of its Basque leaders to attend, but distancing itself from the declaration, which they did not sign.
Obviously the PSOE supports the call for an end to Eta, but it is much less happy with the rest of the conference declaration. This includes references to dialogue between parties, and a possible referendum, presumably on independence. These points were widely interpreted by Spanish commentators yesterday as covertly setting an unacceptable political price for peace. However, the wording makes it clear that these are only “suggestions”, and that they could come into play only after Eta had already disbanded.
Nevertheless, the Basque section of the opposition Partido Popular (PP), the right-wing party very strongly placed to win the elections, described the declaration as “unacceptable to any democrat”. This is a remarkable assertion, given the signatories include former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair former top adviser Jonathan Powell.
The same view was expressed very graphically on the front page of the relatively moderate conservative newspaper ABC, which showed the signatories under the headline: “In the service of Eta”. One of the very politicised associations representing the victims of Eta’s terrorism described the delegates as “people who make a living out of our humiliation”.
Spanish politics is, evidently, very deeply polarised. Even tentative proposals from the Basque section of the PSOE to relax the punitive regime imposed on Eta prisoners, after disbandment, are greeted as close to treasonous by much Spanish public opinion.
The prize of “ending Eta” may now be a poisoned chalice for the PSOE. Perhaps Eta is betting that it is better to wait until the PP wins a predicted absolute majority, and perhaps the PP has secretly indicated that it could afford to be generous from that position. That’s a very long bet, but stranger things have happened.