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Nabarralde | Nabarra Papers
Nabarrese
Solidarity with Mumia
Blanca
Garza.
It is no secret that governments's defense of human rights is
conditioned by politics. The regional government of Spain's
Baskongadak - three of the four Basque territories in Spain
- is no exception.
When the parliament of Baskongadak earlier this year decided
to host a meeting of the Kurdish parliament-in-exile, which
meets in various European cities every few months, that decision
was not a genuine act of solidarity with an oppressed people.
The "moderate" Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which rules Baskongadak,
is at war with Spain's ruling right-wing Popular Party (PP)
over more devolution, and the invitation to the Kurdish parliamentary
group gave the "moderate" Basques an opportunity to practise
foreign policy but only in order to spite Madrid.
If the invitation had been genuine, the Baskongadak parliament
would have apologized to the Kurdish people for the regional
government of Baskongadak's subsidies to Basque companies that
sell arms to Turkey -- especially to Expal which agreed to supply
the government of Turkey with more than 13,000 MK bombs in a
period of two years. The document issued by the parliament called
for solidarity but failed to explain how arms subsidies supported
that solidarity.
When the execution of African-American journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal
was set for December 2, an opportunity arose for the Baskongadak
parliament to express (genuine) outrage at the treatment of
another minority. Basques are very supportive of Mumia Abu-Jamal
and a parliamentary statement would have reflected the wishes
of the Basques in these three territories.
However, of the three regional parliaments that claim to represent
the divided Basque
territories - Aquitaine Parliament, Baskongadak Parliament,
Nabarrase Parliament -, only the parliament of Nabarra has issued
a declaration demanding
the commutation of the death warrant against Mumia Abu-Jamal.
his
inaction by the Baskongadak parliament again shows that the
parliament's calls for solidarity and respect of human rights
are conditioned by the policy of the moment. The Baskongadak
government is so anxious to have the U.S. mediate the Basque
conflict that a letter to Bill Clinton on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal
would have been "inappropriate" -- thus methodically and ruthlessly
looking after itself and its own, to the alarm and consternation
of Basques.
It is no surprise that the parliament of Aquitaine, plagued
by a mix of right-wingers and pale Socialists has chosen to
remain silent. But Euskal Herritarrok (aka Herri Batasuna),
a parliamentary ally of the "moderate" PNV and in the majority
bloc, and the United Left parties, who are supposed to be representing
someone in the Baskongadak parliament, should act now in defense
of their principles.
November 10, 1999
Blanca
Garza is a free-lance writer and a political activist. She lives
in Nabarra.
Translation
by Gigi Bidarte
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