Interview with ETA

Today, Basque newspaper Gara publishes an interview with two speakers of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), identified as Gaueko (the one from the night, a Basque mythological being) and Argi (light), both in the original Basque (link) and translated Spanish (link- PDF) languages.

It is a lenghty text from which I will translate into English some excerpts:

... before this summer, we will end with a long reflexive and assambleary process that intends to forge an effective political-armed strategy.

(...)

The differences between the processes happening in Scotland or Greenland and the one in the Basque Country are not determined by the existence of armed struggle here and not there. The main difference for those processes to be evolving is the different attitudes held by the governments of the United Kingdom and Denmark (...) because Denmark and the UK understand as their political principle the democratic respect they owe to the will of Greenland and Scotland respectively.

(...)

[After the latest failed negotiations/truce of some years ago] In political terms, we are now at the highest level ever reached in any process. It is now obvious that this people has already won two arguments: first, that the resolution of the conflict will arrive by means of dialogue and negotiation and second, that Basques have all the right to decide on our future and that making this possible will close forever the gate of the conflict.

(...) ETA is ready to leave armed struggle as soon as the barriers imposed by the states [Spain and France] to Basque self-determination is lifted. In other words, ETA's weapons will go silent when all political options finally become feasible, including independence.

(...)

The states are stuck in a demonstration of force. Illegalizations are having much more repercussion in the Basque political picture than what some thought. In the so-called macro-trials a lot of people has been sent to jail on claim that they belonged to ETA, when they actually had no relation whatsoever with our organization.

(...)

If the Basque Nationalist Left would have been allowed to run to the last elections, the fascists of López [PSOE] and Basagoiti [PP] would not have got the [Western Basque Autonomous Community's] Presidency; the PNV [right-wing Basque nationalist party] would not have been able to achieve it without the support of the Nationalist Left, IU [Spanish Republican left bloc] would have vanished from that parliament and the results of EA and Aralar [center-left Basque nationalist small parties] would have to be seen. Hence the picture would have been very different, not just in regard to the distribution of seats but on the very essence of the political discussion. (...) The PNV is responsible of this happening (...). Who has transformed the Ertzaintza into uniformed Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey [fascist death squad of the 70s and 80s] has been the PNV.

(...)

Since the [negotiation] process of 1998, what have we learnt those among us who want that the Basque country to be a sovereign state? First, that we cannot go behind the PNV, that we cannot wait for the PNV to change... And, second, that structural oppression from the state requires of structural responses. Because otherwise our people is in the way to extinction.

(...)

ETA has never made any attack at the University of Navarre in Pamplona. ETA attacked for fifth time the Opus Dei [ultraconservative Catholic cult] that is sworn enemy of the Basque Country. ETA has never hit the University of Navarre or Pamplona. On that action, rulers and media speculated a lot trying to damage our reputation. (...) Following instructions of the Interior Ministry, police has more interest in locating the members of ETA making warning calls than in saving lives. (...) Difficulting or sabotaging our warning calls, the Spanish government is attempting that in some attack ETA injuries or kills citizens, so it would fall on our organization all the responsability of such severe damages.

(...)

Finishing ETA by mere policial means has been the dream of all Spanish Interior Ministers so far. (...) This way they attempt to exploit every single arrest of any Basque exiled activist as the fall of the cupola of ETA, and that way the increase the list of the many prisoners that have no relation with ETA at all.

(...)

The land-air missiles captured to ETA were employed in three attempts to kill José María Aznar, when he was president of the Spanish state. Sadly these actions did not achieve their objective.

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