Interview with Basque leader

By Soledad Galiana


Euskal Herria (the Basque Country) is living through historic days after the Lizarra Agreement and ETA's ceasefire announcement. Esther Agirre, member of the National Executive of Herri Batasuna, tells An Phoblacht of the importance of these two events and how the Republican Movement's experience has helped them to create a new political scenario.

 


An Phoblacht: What is the significance of the Lizarra Agreement and the Ireland Forum in the Basque political situation?

Esther Agirre: I want to stress that there is a big consensus within the Basque citizenship. We - more than 23 political parties, trade unions and social movements - signed a very important declaration in Lizarra concerning the political conflict that we are suffering here in the Basque Country. This gives an idea of the strength of this new majority that is calling on the two governments involved in the conflict to bring about a political solution to it. We had a similar situation 20 years ago, when Franco died, but it changed when nationalist parties decided to take a different path. They thought that the political framework that was created by the Spanish Constitution was valid to get more freedom. But now, we say that this political framework is not enough and it is up to us to decide our future.

The first step is to bring together all nationalist parties and trade unions and make a common analysis. This is a political conflict, so it needs a political solution. The Spanish and Paris government have to accept this and I think we have to convince them there is not another way forward. In the future, they will have to respect what the Basque citizenship decide and then maybe make some constitutional changes that would involve further negotiation. And we have seen in Ireland the way all parts involved in the conflict have worked and now it is time for the Spanish and French governments to assume their responsibility in the conflict.

 


AP: How has Basque society reacted to ETA's ceasefire announcement?

EA: Everybody, every political party, every trade union, every social group involved in the Agreement are feeling very hopeful. This is a significant step, we live in historical times, but now we have to go further and try to look for the causes of conflict and try to solve the problems. So, I think, ETA's ceasefire is a political initiative - it is supporting and giving strength to this new political trend. Now, we have to find a common strategy to overcome the obstacles and find a global solution to this conflict.

 


AP: You have mentioned the Irish peace process. How has the Irish experience been applied in the case of the Basque Country?

EA: In many, many ways. Last December, the National Executive of Herri Batasuna - who are now in prison, sentenced because they wanted to make public a peace proposal that ETA had issued in 1995 - thought it could be interesting for Basque nationalists to analyse the peace process in Ireland and that was the reason why we came together in June, July and finally, on Saturday, 12 September.

There were a lot of common features in both struggles and if in Ireland it was possible to create a new political scenario to solve the problem, we thought we should undertake the same effort. We need to build peace, but peace meaning justice. This was the first step. Now, Ireland Forum is at a turning point. We have had contacts with the political parties, the Catholic Church, businessmen... We tried to involve everyone in building a new way towards peace, like the Republican Movement has done. I think they have helped us very much. They have taught us the way, and it has been very useful for us.

I want to point out that even the White House has welcomed the initiative. They have said that if in Ireland peace has been possible, it should be possible in the Basque Country too. And from Havana, Cuba, Fidel Castro has welcomed the ceasefire and this peace process. Also Gerry Adams, our great colleague, has welcomed the Basque move towards peace. He has called on the Spanish government to take the necessary steps to get negotiations underway. It is very important to get all this international support. This is the best way to push a little harder the peace process.

 


AP: After ETA's ceasefire, what would you like to be agreed in the next meeting of the Ireland Forum?

EA: We have to make the Agreement known. We have to try and involve those Basque political parties that were not in the Forum. We have to talk to the Catholic Church because we need its help. We have to go to Europe because international help is crucial in any peace process. So we have to bring the Agreement to the international arena This is the point we want to introduce in the next meeting of the Ireland Forum. It will be the best way to make Madrid and Paris adopt a new policy towards the conflict.


ETA ceasefire announcement


1.- Building Euskal Herria [the Basque Country] requires the work of all the citizenship. However, until now, the nationalist left has been carrying out this task on its own. It has been a long, hard and difficult road for us. The answer to our efforts has been repression. But today, thanks to our endeavours, we can say there is an unprecedented opportunity to share... responsibilities, to create the circumstances and work together towards independence. ETA wants to make clear its determination to foster agreement and is expecting the same from the other parties involved.

2.- Therefore, ETA publicly calls on... all Basque citizenship to compromise and use this new political scenario to move towards sovereignty.

3.- Our main political goal is to overcome the current institutional and state partition. To achieve this, we must create one sovereign institutional structure including Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Lapurdi, Nafarroa and Zuberoa.

4.- If all political and social forces come together in order to achieve this institutional structure, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna will... welcome, protect and promote every initiative directed to overcome institutional and state partition. But we are asking for the same commitment and effort from those who have chosen to ignore this claim until now.

5.- The forces supporting Euskal Herria's democratic rights... must promote agreements around fundamental and basic claims.

6.- The Basque people's project is opposed to the Spanish and French states. A long-standing conflict has shown us that there is no room for half-way solutions. The point is whether we choose to go on living as Basque citizens or to disappear under the Spanish and French states. Thus, we believe it is essential for those who share these ideas to break away from ties and agreements promoted by parties that encourage Spanish and French domination. It is high time to openly undertake the fight for sovereignty. It is time to destroy links and agreements with political parties that aim to destroy Euskal Herria. Hence, this is the moment to abandon all political settlements and repressive institutional structures that favour Spain and France while destroying Euskal Herria.

7.- Taking into account the present situation of Euskal Herria as well as the possibilities for freedom, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna announces an indefinite complete cessation of military operations. ETA's action will be limited to provide ourselves with supplies, to maintain our structures and to defend ourselves in case or hypothetical confrontations.

8.- The Basque people's aim is to achieve respect for Euskal Herria's existence, rights and decisions... Finally, we want to let everybody know that future events and attitudes will determine the duration of this ceasefire.


Lizarra Agreement


The Lizarra Agreement was signed on Saturday 12 September by more than 20 Basque political parties, social groups and trade unions. The document contains an analysis of the Irish peace process and applies its conclusions to the Basque conflict.

The Agreement identifies the causes of the Basque conflict as of ``historical origin and of a political nature'' and that the resolution ``should be political''. It also highlights the necessity of ``a process of dialogue and open negotiation involving all the parties and with the participation of the whole of Basque society''.

There are two phases in this political process. The preliminary phase involves multi-party talks and the absence of preconditions that could be used to exclude any group. The resolution phase emphasises out that for dialogue and negotiation to go ahead there should be a ``total cessation of violence''.

Finally, the document points out that ``negotiations must promote democracy, allowing the Basque citizenship to decide its future and this decision should be respected by the states involved. Euskal Herria must have a voice and [the freedom to] decide''.