Another overture for peace in Spain
After 40 years of terrorizing Spain, the Basque separatist group ETA now says it will seek its goal of independence through peaceful means. The announcement of a permanent cease-fire ''could be the beginning of the end,'' Prime Minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero said. Though hopeful, Mr. Zapatero is right to proceed with caution. Check and verify must become Spain's mantra in dealing with ETA's latest pronouncement.
Spain has traveled this road before. Every administration has sought to defang ETA since Spain became a democracy in 1977. Declarations alone aren't enough. ETA has killed 816 people, including nearly 300 civilians. To show that it truly renounces violence, ETA must disband and disarm itself.Militant students founded ETA in 1959 with hopes of creating an independent Basque country in Northern Spain and Southern France. They chose violence as a means. The first violent act was to try to derail a train transporting supporters of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1961. Over the years, the extortions and terror attacks turned most Spaniards, even Basques, against ETA. The 1997 murder of a small-town council member, Miguel Angel Blanco, prompted millions to protest in the streets. In March, 2004, Islamic terrorists killed 191 people by bombing trains in Madrid. ETA wasn't linked to the bombings, but the backlash -- and a police roundup of more than 130 ETA suspects -- further undermined the group.
Mr. Zapatero deserves credit for opening the door to a cease-fire last May when he offered to talk peace with ETA if the group renounced violence. He has said repeatedly that only the terms of surrender would be negotiable; no concessions would be entertained. That is the right approach.
No comments:
Post a Comment