As basque native I'm shocked still by the succession of good, really good news that come from my native country. It is like to live a dream.
After long work talking about, the last monday we live first the Donostia-San Sebastian International Peace Conference
Like we can see in the resume of the link:
The International Conference to Promote the Resolution of the Conflict in the Basque Country â more widely known as the Donostia-San Sebastián International Peace Conference â was a conference aimed at promoting a resolution to the Basque conflict,[1] which took place in Donostia-San Sebastián (Basque Country) on October 17, 2011, at Aiete Palace. It was organized by the Basque citizens' group Lokarri, and included leaders of Basque parties,[2] as well as six international personalities known for their work in the field of politics and pacification:
Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary-General)
Bertie Ahern (former Prime Minister of Ireland)
Gro Harlem Brundtland (international leader in sustainable development and public health, former Prime Minister of Norway)
Pierre Joxe (former Interior Minister of France)
Gerry Adams (president of Sinn Féin, member of the Irish Parliament)
Jonathan Powell (British diplomat who served as the first Downing Street Chief of Staff).
Tony Blair â former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom â could not be present due to commitments in the Middle East,[1] but he supported the final declaration.
The former US President Jimmy Carter (2002 Nobel Peace Prize) and the former US senator George J. Mitchell (former United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace) also backed this declaration.[3]
The conference resulted in a five-point statement that included a plea for ETA to renounce any armed activities and to demand instead negotiations with the Spanish and French authorities to end the conflict.[2] It was seen as a possible prelude to the end of ETA's violent campaign for an independent Basque homeland,[4] and three days later â on October 20 â ETA announced "definitive cessation of its armed activity".[5][6]
1. We call upon ETA to make a public declaration of the definitive cessation of all armed action and to request talks with the governments of Spain and France to address exclusively the consequences of the conflict.
2. If such a declaration is made we urge the governments of Spain and France to welcome it and agree to talks exclusively to deal with the consequences of the conflict.
3. We urge that major steps be taken to promote reconciliation, recognize, compensate and assist all victims, recognize the harm that has been done and seek to heal personal and social wounds.
4. In our experience of resolving conflicts there are often other issues that, if addressed, can assist in the attainment of lasting peace. We suggest that non violent actors and political representatives meet and discuss political and other related issues, in consultation with the citizenry, that could contribute to a new era without conflict. In our experience third party observers or facilitators help such dialogue. Here, such dialogue could also be assisted by international facilitators, if that were desired by those involved.
5. We are willing to form a committee to follow up these recommendations.
Few days later, ETA takes positively the Declaration of Aiete, and ETA declares the definitive end of their armed actions.
It seems all the most important political parties in the Basque Country, Spain and France are involved in this process like tell us Tony Blair in his recent article "A Basque peace"in the New York Times.
But not all were good reactions. The day after the Declaration of Aiete (before the declaration of ETA) the old francoism take the way of insult the world leaders and all the most important newspapers of rigth in Spain go out with bizarre frontpages insulting the leaders of the conference of peace.
Well I'm not a good traslator, and maybe better if I traslate not this. I wish some reader that understand well spanish language traslate their words about leaders like Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Tony Blair, George Mitchell, Gro Harlem Bruntland, Bertie Ahern, Gerry Adams and Pierre Joxe, for all the readers.
I have not words. And I have not doubts. They are worse than the Tea Party. A lot worse. Spain is the alone country in the world where the fascism gets unpunished after the end of the military dictatorship. The old francoist fascism, strong still in the spanish political life, is the worst obstacle for the peace in the Basque Country at this point.
As basque native, I support the peace for my native country, I support the Declaration of Aiete as the right way for the peace and I support the leaders that sign it.