EFL - these jokers make Wesley Clark look like a brilliant political tactitian.
The Spanish Socialist party damaged its already slim chances of winning the election in March yesterday after becoming embroiled in a scandal over secret contacts with the armed Basque separatist group Eta. The scandal broke after Josep LluÃÂs Carod-Rovira, deputy head of the regional Catalan government led by the Socialist Pasqual Maragall, admitted having met Eta leaders earlier this month. Mr Carod-Rovira met two Eta leaders for talks in the southern French city of Perpignan three weeks ago, while he was standing in as acting leader of Catalonia’s semi-autonomous government for Mr Maragall, who was abroad. He denied reports by the conservative newspaper ABC, which broke the story, that he had tried to broker a deal which would have seen Eta pledge not to carry out any of its bomb or shooting attacks in the eastern Catalan region. "The aim was to help contribute to the possibility that Eta might declare a ceasefire and stop its armed fight," he said. "We thought it could be of service to the cause of peace."
Must have been talking to that Carter guy.
| Why does the "cause of peace" always seem to involve snuggling with guys with bombs? |
But Mr Carod-Rovira, who leads a Catalan separatist party that is in coalition with Mr Maragall, was forced to apologise and resign yesterday. He was kept on, however, as a member without portfolio in Mr Maragall’s cabinet. Observers said the Catalan separatist leader had failed to take into account the damage, if his secret trip became public knowledge, to the Socialists’ campaign to beat the prime minister José MarÃÂa Aznar’s rightwing People’s party in March elections. There was speculation yesterday as to who had blown the whistle on the meeting; the newspaper El Mundo pointed the finger at the Spanish military intelligence service. The deputy prime minister had not only demanded the sacking, but had also called on the Socialists to break their alliance in Catalonia with Mr Carod-Rovira’s separatist party. "Mr Zapatero aims to govern Spain with these sorts of companions," he said. "You cannot offer political concessions to terrorists."
Mr Aznar accused Mr Carod-Rovira of helping Eta choose its targets. "It is a way of signalling to a terrorist group who they can kill and who they cannot," he said. Commentators said Mr Carod-Rovira’s lack of political experience had led him to accept the approach from two Eta leaders in hiding in France, reported to be Mikel Albizu and José Antonio Urruticoetxea. The People’s party has fought a fierce battle against both of them, accusing the moderate nationalists who run the Basque government of being in cahoots with Eta. Mr Aznar has turned the battle against Eta and separatism in the Basque country and Catalonia into one of his party’s strongest electoral weapons. His government has banned the Batasuna party, Eta’s political front, and police investigations have seriously damaged the terrorists’ ability to carry out attacks in recent years. Eta, which has murdered more than 800 people in its 30-year campaign for an independent Basque state, killed only three last year.
Mr Aznar leave has the legacy thing down. |