Basques demonstrate for dialogue
The Good Friday Agreement is now an example to follow for other
countries. On Friday, whilethe referenda votes were taking place
in Ireland, more than 3000 Basques attended demonstrations
organised by Herri Batasuna (HB), the Basque Socialist
Independentist party.
Pickets were organised in different towns and cities of the
Basque Country under the motto ``Ireland says yes, The Basque
Country says yes also''. With these mobilisations HB wanted to
express their ``support for the people of the Six Counties, their
happiness for this achievement of the Republican movement, and
honour SF and IRA activists''. But HB wanted also to highlight the
necessity of dialogue and negotiation to solve the Basque
conflict.
The demonstrations started at midday in Irunea and Bilbao, with
members of the National Executive carrying Irish flags. Pernando
Barrena, member of the HB National Executive, explained that they
wanted to ``demonstrate the solidarity of the left-wing
nationalist people, and particularly of HB, with the Irish Peace
Proccess and the new political scenario created by the
ratification of the Agreement reached in Stormont.''
Herri Batasuna also has proposed to all the political parties,
trade unions and social and non-violent movements to meet at an
``Irish Forum'' to analyse the Peace Process in Ireland and try to
find a way to peace for the Basque Country. HB sees the Good
Friday Agreement as ``a compromise for peace, a bet for the
future'' and reinforces their hopes ``to win back the Basque
Country's sovereignty''.
The previous HB's proposal to the Spanish government for dialogue
ended with the imprisonment of the 23 members that formed the
National Executive. They were sentenced to seven years
imprisoment and are currently in jail.
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