Monday, May 15, 2006

WELL, NOT QUITE: this report says that ETA terrorists appealed for dialogue in a "rare interview". Thing is, they did an Osama-like appeal: they'll be tolerant as long as the other side does exactly what they want:
The armed Basque group ETA has stated publicly for the first time since a ceasefire declaration in March that it still demands self-determination for the Basque Country.

"The final agreement ... must be negotiated in terms of self-determination and territoriality*, for these are the keys to overcoming the conflict," two leading ETA members told the Basque daily newspaper Gara in a rare interview, published Sunday.

"Without solving these problems, it is impossible to overcome the conflict and reach a democratic solution," the newspaper quoted them as saying, without naming the pair.

With the ceasefire, "ETA has already made its principle contribution to provising an impulse for the (peace) process," the two ETA members said, adding it was now for the politicians to "fulfil their commitments."
[*territoriality is the euphemism Basque nationalists use for the annexation of neighboring province of Navarra in Spain and three departments in France. Don't know about the chances on the former, depends on how appeaser feels Zapatero; but on the latter I'd say they're dreaming if they think France will agree]

Big question here is what commitments they're talking about: Zapatero's government has always denied that they had already made any concessions to ETA, but ETA seems to be asking these concessions to be done.


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