With local elections looming, the crisis in the negotiations for peace reaches a climax with the threatened criminalisation of the Batasuna political party.
Spain´s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero is wondering today, if he should turn back. After several years of opening up paths that have lead to a dialogue with the Basque terrorist group ETA, he is now under intense pressure to declare it all over.
Ceasefire
When ETA announced a cease fire in March 2006 it was clear to all - except the staunch right in the opposition group, the Partido Popular - that some form of concession would have to be made if the process was to lurch precariously forward. But such a road would be a delicate one, made more so by the policy of crispacion or confrontation adopted by the Partido Popular in there efforts to undermine such talks. As a consequence, few concessions were made and ETA, frustrated at such intransigence, resorted once again to violence by December of the same year.
The Prime Minister then had to make a bold decision: to call off any talks or to press on and hope that any dialogue would be better than a return to the killings of the past. The opposition mounted an enormous campaign to end all contact with ETA organising street demonstrations and public calls for the return to the policies of their previous administration.
Elections
Now Spain finds itself the same crossroads once again with the imminent local elections in May and the application to participate from Batasuna, a radical nationalist group often linked to ETA. The opposition groups have called yet again for their criminalisation, whilst Batasuna (representing between 10 and 20% of the local vote) points out that unless it can participate in democracy, there will be an inevitable rise of terrorist activity. The sticking point here is that Batasuna has refused to condemn the violent tactics employed by ETA and until such a condemnation is heard, they look to be denied access to the political democratic processes. When the IRA in Ireland called for an end to their activities, concessions were made regarding political participation and the movement of prisoners. Such steps were integral in breaking the stalemate and moving the peace process forward. But such brave steps are far from being realised in Spain, despite genuine moves by Zapatero.
Hunger strike
Last month the Spanish Prime Minister granted an ex-ETA terrorist - who had assassinated many people over the years - a number of concessions in order to avoid his death by hunger strike. The opposition has not forgiven the Prime Minister for this and called for his resignation and a return to their policy of defeating ETA by force rather than negotiation. In justification of his decision to save the life of the assassin, the PM said that he believed in: the supreme value of life,and that there should be no more deaths from terrorism. When criticised by the opposition for showing weakness in the battle against the terrorists, he replied that: It was not fear nor weakness that saved his life, but rather a sense of value and responsibility.
Now, having shown his capacity for forgiveness and flexibility and having come so far down an unmarked route, he appears to have come as far as he is prepared to go in the search for dialogue. And as the Spanish courts assess the legailty stautus of Batasuna over the next few days, the peace process hangs by the finest of threads.
