Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [When it comes time to confront demands for autonomy and ethnic equality in its own midst, NATO stalwart Spain answers with the infamous *le mot de Cambronne*; or with an equally succinct two-word response in English. Encased behind the armor of NATO membership, Madrid can scoff at requests that, should some non-NATO member be faced with anything similar, they'd be bombed into submission for. What are the Spanish words for hypocrisy and duplicity; or for that matter, war crimes?] Spain vows to block Basque referendum Tension rises as PM rules out moves towards independence Giles Tremlett in Madrid Tuesday July 31, 2001 The Guardian Spain's prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, promised yesterday to block efforts to call a referendum on self-determination in the troubled northern Basque country. Mr Aznar made it clear he would prevent the Basque regional premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe, who he was to meet last night, from leading Basques into a referendum that would see them decide on the region's future. "The right to self-determination is not recognised anywhere in the world," Mr Aznar told the La Vanguardia newspaper before the meeting. "Mr Ibarretxe had better be aware that no part of Spain will be segregated." His defiant sentiments increased the level of tension between central government in Madrid and the regional government of Mr Ibarretxe's moderate Basque Nationalist party. Mr Ibarretxe has already provoked the rage of Mr Aznar's conservative Popular Party by pledging to take his region further towards self-determination during his second term in office. Mr Aznar said: "If they say the constitutional pact is worthless and must be remade through the separation of a part of Spain, then that is independence and I say 'no'." Mr Ibarretxe's visit to Mr Aznar yesterday came after his party's clear victory in regional Basque elections in May. Those elections dashed Mr Aznar's hopes of wresting control of the region from the nationalists and gave electoral credibility to Mr Ibarretxe's self-determination proposals, which were included in his party's election manifesto. The moves towards self-determination, however, have provoked an outraged reaction from Spain's conservative politicians and press who mostly believe that granting Basques that right would be the beginning of the disintegration of Spain. They fear that self-determination would lead to other regions such as Catalonia campaigning for independence. Mr Aznar's Popular Party claims that the right to self- determination only applies to former colonies or to those people whose rights are systematically abused by central government. Mr Ibarretxe has been accused of playing into the hands of the armed separatist group Eta, which has killed more than 800 people over the past 30 years. Eta demands a referendum on independence, though it considers that this should be extended to cover parts of south-west France and the Spanish region of Navarre. The referendum being mooted by the Basque Nationalist party would not go nearly that far. In fact, the nationalists are proposing two referenda. Basques would firstly be asked simply whether they want the right to vote on independence. Nationalist leaders have argued that if Basques answered yes to that question, Spain's constitution, which prevents any break up of the state, could then be reformed or "reinterpreted". A second referendum might then be called asking Basques directly whether they wanted to be an independent state. "There is nothing more democratic than a popular vote," said Jose Maria Atutxa, a senior party member and the president of the Basque parliament. "In any case, voting for the right to self-determination and actually exercising that right are two different things." Mr Atutxa said any vote on independence would require the support of more than just half of the Basque voters. A handful of rightwing commentators and Popular Party politicians, however, are now beginning to argue in favour of a referendum. They point to polls that say that, if given the choice, most Basques would prefer to remain Spanish. "Perhaps it is time to consider a clear and precise pronouncement from the Basque electorate on whether or not it wants to be independent from Spain, with all the consequences," said Isabel San Sebastian, a commentator for El Mundo newspaper, who has been a fierce critic of Basque nationalism. She argued that most Basques would see that the separation from Spain, and from the EU, would bring considerable disadvantages. "They would have to get in the queue to join the European Union behind Bulgaria," she added. The increasingly bitter dispute between Mr Aznar and Mr Ibarretxe's government has been fuelled by their differing approaches to Eta. Mr Aznar, who has seen seven of his own party's politicians killed by Eta in recent years, has vowed to defeat the group with police measures. Mr Ibarretxe, whose party's politicians are not targeted by Eta, believes that only political negotiations will persuade Eta to give up its arms. Key dates September 18 1998 Eta calls surprise unilateral ceasefire. One low-level meeting in Switzerland with representatives of the Popular party government. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! 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