That "if" doesn't make sense, "if" just yesterday there were four bombings.

And "if" we are to negotiate "if" they quit their terrorism, and we clearly see that they haven't quit their attacks, then should we negotiate?

Let me remind you that certain political parties have already been caught negotiating" and the government has had to admit that there has been some type of contact. The news papers today stated that the government does not want to make any public statements and they're behind closed doors, yesterday TVE1, drastically changed the subject and spoke about other issues instead of giving headway to the bombings, while on other channels it was the main event.

What type of government permits this, and still has the nerve to smile on camera and say, "we are negotiating"

I don’t understand why a government would permit those political parties that are in close contact with ETA to remain in the parliament and to continue to viscously spread their ultimate ideals, even giving them the liberty to defend such hideous acts.

Whatever, I agree with quique. Plan Ibarreche is over, citizens have spoken. Now it's time to go on, to seek peace and a better future.
Police action against terrorism is right, and it will continue. That's the way, and political radicalism is not it. I'm glad the Ansar 'dark times' are over.

Things have changed... for the worse.

We have a socialist government supported by communists and catalonian independentists (whose leader agreed with ETA not to commit assasinations in Catalonia, no matter what they did in the rest of Spain).

Yesterday there were 4 bombings with 3 injured. Our president didn't mentioned the injured, nor did he condemn the bombings. He just said how radical PP was.

Today Rubalcaba (the governments speakerman) has stated today that, since there has been no killed, it seems like if ETA has a tacit truce.

All these smells very bad, with a government which is (it seems) willing to negotiate with terrorists. The unique negotiation with terrorists is when and where they abandon their activities. Any other thing is giving the reason (implicitly) to them: "Hey, you should kill to achieve at least part of your objectives".

Frankly, I prefer by far "Ansar dark times" (which weren't) than a populist and demagogic government.

Fernando

I doubt very much that the Madrid Government will ever accept "dual citizenship" as a rule, made other than by their own governing body. I can understand why it wouldn't happen, because it could open the doors to serious repercussions.

On the question of ETA, and the bombings, I believe that the arrests, and crowing about having "cut the head off the serpent," did more to help ETA rebuild than it did to hurt them. There are always willing participants in Basque Country, because of what they perceive as "oppression."

You don't have to believe that philosophy, but they do in Basque Country, so all the ranting and raving that people do against it doesn't mean a damned thing unless you sway the people that live there through political change.

When it comes to how the existing government can handle ETA, everyone should remember that this government in power came into existance by surrendering to terrorist force from outside their own borders. Why would anyone expect differently when it came to dealing with terrorism inside their own borders. It's only a matter of time until they surrender to the terrorist demands again.

History does repeat itself.

If you're referring to the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq, I have to disagree. In my opinion it's exactly what any government should do if more than 70% of their citizens oppose having them there (and they were a majority even before the terrorist attack, right?). Using the attack and people's fear in the elections, on the other hand, is another thing.

Wolf: Since the capture of ETA's bossess almost half a hundred terrorists have been captured, some of them very important. The good thing is that these arrests have contributed to the longest period without assassinations since ETA's birth. The socialist government is (thanks God) continuing Aznar's policy by pressing ETA and arresting every possible terrorist.

But it is not the same in the political part of the issue. The Government has allowed Batasuna be represented in the Basque Parlament by intentionally not issuing the judges to investigate the link between their new party (Basque Lands Communist Party) and Batasuna.

What a pitty.

Fernando

Pia, I don't vote a party to let them manage the country by the polls. I expect my government to take decissions based on the information they have (information that may not be shared to the common citizen) the best possible way to protect my interests and those of my fellow countrymen, no matter how unpopular it is.

Fernando

Fernando,

What concerns me most about ETA is that the "new leaders" may well be a lot more violent than those of the past. The lack of deaths due to bombing may just be a lull in the storm, while they rebuild their network. It's happened before, and I don't see why it won't happen again.

I agree with you on the political issues. Not everything can be decided through "popular vote." If that was the case, there's a strong chance we would never have gotten into WWI or WWII in Europe.

Americans were supportive of the war in Asia at the beginning of WWII due to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but were skeptical on entering the European war. That was obvious by the fact that we hadn't entered it until the bombing in Hawaii.

Pia, I understand your point of view as well. People should have their voices heard. But, if that's the case, why aren't the voices of the Basques being heard in Madrid?

Wolf

But don't you think making this decision was wrong of the previous government in the first place? I don't mean that governments should spend their days reading polls, of course not, but I also don't think they should take their countries into wars that are strongly opposed by the people. I understand your point if it is that withdrawing the troops so shortly after the attack send out signals to the terrorists that they were successful, but as I see it, the troops should never have been sent there in the first place.

Pia,

On a special note, weigh the following.

The majority of people in Spain believed they should not be in Iraq. They elected a government that would remove the troops immediately. You indicate that's the right thing to do.

Yet, when the majority of Americans support the death penalty in the US, and elect a government that supports it, you'd say it's wrong?

I'm afraid that people judge issues way too often on their own personal beliefs instead of the broader picture of what the right course of action should be.

That's even the case when dealing with ETA, and the fact that the new government is opening up dialogue with separatist groups.