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17 September 1998 Edition

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Possible ETA ceasefire

Irish Peace Process points the way for Basque conflict

In what is being seen as a major breakthrough in the Basque conflict Herri Batasuna (HB), Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Eusko Alkartasuna (EA) and United Left (IU) - political parties involved in what has become known as the Ireland Forum - together with another 30 social organisations and trade unions, have signed the Lizarra Agreement. The document, published last Saturday, marks the way forward for a political resolution of the Basque conflict. There are strong rumours that an ETA ceasefire is imminent.

The possibility of an ETA ceaseafire has not yet been confirmed, but there are strong indications that it could be a reality after a three month period of inactivity and the publication of this new document.

Last Tuesday, the Basque autonomous government called on ETA to announce a cessation of all actions. The same day, EA presented a motion in the Spanish Congress supporting Basque political prisoners. Although it was defeated, the proposal was backed by all the parties taking part in the Ireland Forum and by the Catalan nationalist party, whose support is keeping the right-wing Popular Party in the Spanish government.

The Lizarra Agreement, based on Ireland's peace process, proposes an initial phase ``where dialogue and negotiation could be facilitated through multi-party talks without pre-conditions'' and a ``resolution phase'' in which ``once [a spirit of] compromise and a will to approach the causes of conflict are clear, the negotiation towards the resolution of the conflict should take place during a permanent cessation of all expressions of violence.''

The Lizarra Agreement opens with a six points analysis of the factors that led to the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland and how this model could be applied to the Basque situation. The document highlights the attitude ``of the republican movement to build and support the inclusion of all traditions on the island in the resolution of the conflict''.

Since the Good Friday Agreement was reached, HB proposed the creation of a social forum where representatives of Basque social organisations and political parties could meet and exchange their different perspectives while trying to find a political solution for the country's conflict. This was called the Ireland Forum and the new document is a direct consequence of it.

All political parties but the right-wing Popular Party (PP) in the Spanish government and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), have welcomed the initiative. The Spanish Home minister, Mayor Oreja, rejected the document as ``a betrayal'' and the possible ETA ceasefire as ``a cheat''. The Spanish PM, Aznar, dismissed it as ``mockery''. Jose Borrell, PSOE's presidential candidate, attacked the nationalist parties when he said that the Agreement ``is not a way to peace, but the imposition of the nationalist project on the whole of Basque society.'' Despise their comments, Herri Batasuna reiterated the invitation to both groups to integrate in the Forum and sign the Agreement.

The president of the Autonomous Basque Government, José Antonio Ardanza, pointed out that the parties that support the agreement have 47 seats in the Basque parliament, while PSOE and PP have just 25 ``which indicates the real support for the document''. José María Setien, bishop of San Sebastian, expressed his wish to approach this initiative ``with hope thinking that the groups and individuals can move towards peace''.

World briefs


Two members of the Communist Party were killed during the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the death of Chilean president Salvador Allende.

Cristian Varela (47) died from injuries caused by a gas canister. Claudia Alejandra López (25) was shot. More than 50 people were injured during the disturbances, 20 of them members of the security forces.

 


Latin American governments spend an average of $45.billion in defence and security every year. Eugenio Labrera, member of the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean Area highlighted that this money would be more than enough to ease the extreme poverty in the region.

In the last eight years, Latin American governments have increased their defence expenditure by $12 billion. In Asia, defence expenditure is $11 billion annually and in the Middle East it is $2.5 billion.

 


Algerian president, Liamín Zerual, has announced he will not stand in the 1999 general elections. Abdelkrim Ul Adda, spokesperson for the Salvation Islamic Front (FIS) said that the decision was caused by ``the inability'' of Zerual to solve the country's crisis and persistent violence. Another 36 peasants were killed during the weekend in what security forces described as attacks by Islamic groups. The Human Rights National Observatory point out that in 1997 4,643 people died in 554 outrages attributed to these armed groups and that 706 people have disappeared after being arrested by police, army or other security forces.

 


In Iran, the National Security Council is deciding what measures to take after the killing of eleven diplomatic personnel and an Iranian journalist by troops of the Afghan Taliban militia. The tension in the area increased with the news that Taliban troops have captured Bamyan, the base for the Hezb-i-Wahdat pro-Iran movement, and that Iran's government is sending more troops to reinforce the 17.000 soldiers in the vicinity of the Afghanistan border. Iran's government announced their intention of carrying out army operations involving 200,000 troops by the beginning of next month.

 


Floods in Chiapas, the worst catastrophe since the 1985 earthquake that devastated the area, have left some 1,200,000 people homeless, 400,000 isolated and caused more than 200 deaths. The fate of another 500 people is unknown. The most immediate problem is to reach the areas affected for the flooding to distribute medicines and food as the floodings destroyed bridges and roads. The Zapatista Army for National Liberation (EZLN) is accusing Zedillo's government of distributing the aid according to political interests. Other Mexican states affected by the torrential rain were Guerreros, Morelos, Oaxaca, Guanajuato and Nayarit.

 


Again, civil revolt is threatening political stability in Albania. The cause of the disturbances was the murder, last Saturday, of a close colleague of former Albanian president, Sali Berisha. His supporters, carrying the coffin, decided to walk past government buildings to highlight their claims of government involvement in the death and civil servants and ministers, including Prime Minister Fastos Nano had to abandon the building through a back door when a multitude shouting ``Revenge'' and ``Now or never, death to Communism'' went to occupy it .

The government has issued an ultimatum to former president, Sali Berisha, to leave the country. Berisha was forced from office during civil disturbances in spring `97 caused by the fraud of a pyramid scheme which impoverished the already devastated Albanian economy. Berisha is now being accused by the socialist government of Nano of inciting the population to revolt.

The socialist government claimed this week that they have recovered control of Parliament, government and the TV station. But last Tuesday night an illegal demonstration took place through the street of Tirana.

The situation is a new cause for concern for the Albanian minority in Kosovo which looks to Albania as the Promised Land and to Belisha as their leader.




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