López looks toward the end of ETA

Basque premier, or lehendakari, Patxi López has explained before the regional parliament in Vitoria the strategy his government will follow in order to bring about a definitive end to ETA terrorism. López’s proposals fall within the terms of the agreement reached on February 21 between all parties in Congress with the exception of the Basque leftist abertzale grouping of Amaiur and the centrist, anti-regionalist UPyD. In short, the Basque leader urged even stronger unity between democratic parties and greater coordination between national and Basque administrations to oversee this period.

The terrorist organization has ceased violent attacks but it has yet to disband, a situation which ought to make democratic parties and institutions consider with care whether it is the time to adopt new initiatives or simply wait for the terrorists and abertzale left to take further steps.

López prefers the former option, setting himself up as the spokesman for the majority movement which was effectively formed by the agreement in Congress last month. Discrepancies, however, may arise when it comes to defining the steps to be taken, especially considering that under no circumstances — and López recognized this fact — should any political concessions be made to those who used and justified violence. Nor must credence be given to the abertzale idea that the end of terrorist violence is the fruit of mutual recognition between ETA and state institutions that they have both played simultaneous roles of victim and aggressor in some kind of conflict. In Euskadi there were some who killed and others who didn’t. The mere fact that the killers have decided to stop does not make this worthy of recompense.

Since the terrorist group ceased its violent activities, the abertzale left has attempted to make ETA prisoners a priority issue. Here, the Basque premier made a response which the other political forces will not be able to dispute in that it is a strict interpretation of the law: rehabilitation measures cannot be applied collectively, but rather on an individual basis. ETA and the abertzale should stop treating the prisoners as if they were a bargaining chip in negotiations which are not even taking place.

López announced the creation of a commissioner to oversee the end of terrorism and a special platform within the Basque parliament to discuss the return to democratic normality in the region. This is as far as he can or should go while the terrorist organization still exists. López’s speech shows that Spain’s institutions have taken note of the abertzale and terrorists’ intention to stay within the law — but, so far, it is still just that, an intention.

No one should hope that this prospect ends up being frustrated, just as no one can expect the decades of terror in the Basque Country to be forgotten. ETA and its supporters did not commit a simple error which they are now owning up to, but rather hundreds of crimes for which amends must be made.