New proposal to end Basque conflict
By Soledad Galiana
Herri Batasuna, the Basque independentist party, has presented a
new document to be discussed by political parties, trade unions
and lobby groups. The document - entitled National Agreement -
aims to open a debate in the Basque society that could reach a
democratic solution to the Basque conflict.
The principal points of the document are self-determination,
unity of the Basque Country and a democratic solution to the
actual conflict.
Joseba Permach, co-ordinator of the Herri Batasuna, describes the
document as ``historic'' and highlighted the contacts that the
party has established with the nationalist parties, PNV and EA.
``We do not want future generations living the political and armed
conflict that Basques are experiencing today,'' he said. Permach
called on the whole of Basque society - and especially those who
believe that ``the solution to the problems of Euskal Herria
(Basque Country) must be achieved by the Basque people'' - to
``participate in the debate and to focus their efforts to reach a
consensus''.
Meanwhile the current high level of repression against Basques
continued on Tuesday when French police arrested 15 Basque
refugees. The arrested were well known for their links with
Basque independence and are being accused of organising ETA's
infrastructure in French territory.
The major operation was carried out by Custom police and the
General Department Against Terrorism (DNA) on the orders of judge
Laurent Le Vert and took place in different towns of the North
Basque country.
Gestoras Po-Amnistia, a Basque organisation which supports Basque
political prisoners, refugees and deportees, expressed their
opposition to this new repressive action against Basque political
refugees. ``After the operations carried out in Iparralde against
the youth organization Gazteriak, the association in support of
the Basque political prisoners Gureak, what has happened with
these historical political refugees reveal that the French
government is following the strategy of `anything goes' against
the Basque Country, initiated by the Popular Party (PP) in the
Spanish State''.
Demonstrations have been called throughout the Basque Country in
support of the 15 Basque refugees.
Open way to Fujimori's re-election
Supporters of the Peruvian President, Alberto Fujimori, in the
country's Congress defeated a motion that called for a referendum
so the citizens could decide if they wanted ``the Chinese'' (as he
is nicknamed, even though he is of Japanese descent) to be
allowed to stand in the elections in the year 2000.
The motion, presented by Democratic Forum, the opposition to
Fujimori's government, and supported by 73% of the citizenship,
was defeated by 48 votes to 45, after nearly 13 hours of debate.
Police confronted demonstrators opposed to Fujimori outside the
Congress, while inside the elected representatives engaged in
fist fighting.
Although the Peruvian Constitution limits to two the number of
consecutive presidential mandates, there will now be no obstacle
to Fujimori standing for a third election after the Congress
decision. This is based on the so-called Law for the Authentic
Interpretation of the Constitution, approved by the Congress in
1996, which established that Fujimori could go for a second
election because only one of his mandates took place under the
new constitution of 1993.
Henry Pease, representative for the Union por el Peru (UPP),
party member of Democratic Forum announced that the coalition has
decided to present a complaint to the Organisation of American
States' Human Rights Commission.
Congo's rebellion brings ethnic cleansing
The new move of Kabila's government to reinforce its position has
increased the instability of a region devastated by war. Most of
Congo's neighbouring countries have been directly or indirectly
involved in the latest conflict whose end is witnessing the
beginning of new ethnic cleansing in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire.
Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola are the five
countries directly involved in the latest armed conflict in the
DRC. Former allies, Rwanda and Uganda, countries that actively
collaborated in Kabila's victory against former president Mobutu
Sese Seko have seen their position reversed, becoming now enemy's
of Kabila's regime.
Rwanda and Uganda trained troops and actively supported Kabila on
his seven months campaign that won him the presidency of Zaire.
But unknown to his allies, Kabila was engaged in the creation of
his own army, which was formed by the rebel Rwandans, and in
talks with the Sudanese government that supports Ugandan rebels.
Now, Kabila's government accuses Rwanda and Uganda of promoting
the rebellion within the Tutsi minority settled in South Kivu,
the same area from where the war against Mobutu was launched.
Tutsis rose when Kabila demanded they all leave Congo after his
request for more Rwandan troops to be sent to Kinshasa was
refused last month. When the Rwandan army moved in to help the
rebels, only the involvement of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola
saved the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo from the
rebel forces.
Kabila played the card of ethnic threat to involve Namibia and
Zinbabwe in the conflict. And this is the main danger that the
region of Central Africa is facing, the existing ethnic
inequalities created by colonial policies that today cause
conflict and genocide. Although the war is not over, in Kinshasa
the ethnic cleansing has already started.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)