President of Basque Regional Government.- Good morning.
The first thing I should say and acknowledge is that it has been a great pleasure for me to receive the President of the Government of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, here in Ajuria Enea, in this building which is the symbol of self-government and which, to some extent, is also a symbolic building for all Basque men and women. It is doubly satisfying as it has taken place now, at a time when liberty in our country has defeated terrorism and democracy has triumphed over totalitarian positions and, hence, we have just entered a new period in our history free of the dark cloud of violence.
I think that we should acknowledge - I wish to do this - that the Basque Country owes much to President Rodríguez Zapatero, because his Governments, on the one hand, have brought significant investment to our region - they helped us to implement the high-speed railway model, the greatest investment in the history of the Basque Country, which the Basque Regional Government has also helped to speed along; they helped us so that investment in leading research in Europe could be located in the Basque Country, together with R&D+i investment, and investment in other infrastructures; but, above all, they helped us to bring freedom and to defeat terrorism as a result of the decisive commitment of the President of the Government during his first term of office, when many people insulted him and yet he risked everything; and also for the work of his second term of office, in which, together with the Minister for Home Affairs, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, he opposed terrorism with democratic strength, the defence of institutions and trust of those citizens that defended liberty.
We will not forget all of this and that is why I thanked him privately earlier, but now I would like to do the same in public. I would like to say thank you: thank you, President of the Government. Thank you very much for helping the Basque Country. You will always be a great President of the Government and a friend to the Basque people.
This is the second time a President of the Government of Spain has officially visited Ajuria Enea, and the first in 31 years, and it has taken place in radically different circumstances to those that existed in 1980 in the meeting between Adolfo Suárez and Regional President Garaicoetxea, when the start of democracy and the self-rule of the Basque Country was also threatened by different forms of terrorism and coups. And we also remember those years of pain. When it was so tough to maintain liberty and when it was so difficult to transform the State that Franco had left behind into a fully democratic State.
Adolfo Suárez came here, to Ajuria Enea, when hope and democracy began to emerge, and when there were still strong forces that opposed liberty from the very structures of the State itself and from totalitarian groups that sought, through terror, to make the path to democracy impossible.
Today, with the visit of President Rodríguez Zapatero, we have closed the circle of violence, we have put an end to the terrorist activities of ETA and, as I have said before, a new dawn of liberty in the Basque Country has emerged.
Hence, this has been a just visit, in my opinion, due to the moment at which it has taken place, it is only just to acknowledge the help given by the President of the Government and to show our gratitude.
During the meeting we have analysed in detail the situation resulting from the decision by ETA to definitively bring to an end its terrorist activities.
I have informed the President of the Government about the impressions I have as a result of the contact I have maintained with political parties and social organisations in the Basque Country to tackle, with the maximum unity possible, the challenge of living together in liberty, and we have agreed that the end of terrorism constitutes a victory for the Rule of Law and for the democratic resistance of society and its institutions; a victory for the courage of its victims - by the way, today I would like to remember Judge Lídon, who was murdered ten years ago; he is one of the victims who will always remain in our memory - it is also a victory for zero tolerance of a totalitarian injustice and for the effective work of the police forces, of the judiciary and of the decisive collaboration of other countries, particularly France.
ETA was the great conflict of the Basque Country, as can be seen through them laying down their weapons.
It has also been as a result of the policies that our two Governments have applied with full collaboration, with total unity. If we had taken heed of proposals which, from one side and from another, were made to modify anti-terrorism policies, we would surely have taken longer to dispense with ETA. But we can now see the triumph of democracy.
We also agree that the future must be built on hope, but also on memory. We are committed to a future of harmony without forgetting the past; a tomorrow without revenge, but in which each one of us assumes responsibility for our actions or what we allowed to happen. We will not allow tyrants to try to turn themselves into victims or terrorists to try to allege that there was no other solution than to become terrorists.
I have stressed to the President of the Government our commitment to liberty and co-existence that I presented to the Basque Regional Government in September, because I believe that this commitment contains the fundamental aspects for this new era, and I indicated to him that our goal must be the right to live in liberty, managing our differences with our sights set high and with the plurality of political options and the sense of belonging that exists in the Basque Country.
We agree that politics must contribute towards strengthening the Basque Country in these new times, dispelling doubts and avoiding withdrawing into the nostalgia of our past. In this respect, we have analysed the measures to be adopted to consolidate the opportunities opened up to Basque society and we are convinced that these decisions, some of which correspond to the next Government of Spain, in agreement with the Basque Regional Government, should always seek the maximum consensus of the political forces in this country.
I believe that this time of liberty, to which the President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has contributed so much and so decisively, requires determination, but also prudence and calm. It is not a time for interested haste but a time for getting things right.
I will end by reiterating the gratitude of the Basque Government and of the whole of Basque society for this continuous effort on the part of the President of the Government to bring peace, liberty and co-existence to this country.
President of the Government.- I would like, first of all, to thank the President of the Basque Regional Government for these warm and generous words and, secondly, I would like to express my profound satisfaction at being here, in Ajuria Enea, with the President of the Basque Regional Government; satisfaction based on one fundamental reason: that reason is that liberty has taken a huge leap forward in the Basque Country.
Today, above all, I have come here to wish that this liberty becomes a firm, solid liberty, based on the principles of co-existence, respect and tolerance, and of course, of keeping our memories strong.
I would like to thank the Basque people. I would like to thank the vast majority of Basque society, to thank all democrats and all those of good faith, to thank the democratic political forces, the trade unions, business organisations and the Basque media, the vast majority of whom have resisted and struggled for liberty.
The victory of liberty is a victory for the Basque Country, a victory for the vast majority of Basque society.
This has been my experience. My experience is that, if there hadn't been this level of resistance and ambition for the expectations of the Basque people who love this land, in the same way as they love liberty and democracy, we would not have been able to bring this nightmare that is ETA terrorism to an end.
Remembering the victims and their families; togetherness, which must be permanent, and, above all, confidence, confidence in the future.
This land has overcome a tough test. This is a land of entrepreneurs, of people with a great civic conscience, defenders of liberty, and it will show that people can live here as in few other places: in liberty.
You can imagine that for me to feel this new atmosphere that I felt today upon landing in Vitoria is something very profound and emotive. I have conveyed to the President of the Basque Regional Government my full support for this initiative that has been implemented since the month of September, which he explained in Parliament and which is based, above all, on dialogue and the future.
Patxi López is successfully leading this new era that requires dialogue and a great democratic school: co-existence, education and values for the Basque Country. And I would like to tell all the Basque people to appreciate this, to appreciate this leadership and to support it; to all the political forces that they be understanding and subscribe to this leadership, because we are living through historic times and because those who now hold this responsibility in the Basque Country will leave their mark for so many future generations so that they can live better, that they can feel better and that they can appreciate even more the meaning of the value of respect, of being, of co-existence and the warmth of democracy.
That is why, President of the Basque Regional Government, I am proud of the journey you have embarked on in favour of these times and which you are doing with your style, with calm, with prudence and with skill, because it will take time. It will take time and it will require an enormous capacity to make progress, to understand and be understood.
Finally, I would like to say to you that I was always in favour, as President of the Government, of doing whatever was in my power to put an end to the blight of ETA terrorism. Following the 20th, the most profound reflection I have made is that the merit lies with the Basque people. If I had to leave but one idea, beyond any sentiment, it would be this: the merit lies with the Basque people.
And, as you can imagine, I have dedicated - I mentioned this to the President of the Basque Regional Government - many hours of my work as President of the Government to the fight against ETA and to leading the political efforts to ending violence; I feel very personally bound to the Basque Country. A part of me will always be here.
Thank you very much Patxi for your generosity.
Q.- Have you spoken about the latest developments in the 'Campeón Affair' because there is new information available? Do you believe that the minister should resign to be able…?
President of the Government.- We have come here to discuss what we have talked about and we should not digress.
President of Basque Regional Government.- Furthermore, it is clear due to the rumours.
Q.- The President of the Basque Regional Government has spoken about future measures which will require dialogue and which will need to be taken, in the main, by the next government. Could you inform us of some of the specific measures that you have spoken about in this respect?
President of Basque Regional Government.- I think that this is on everybody's mind. And, as we have said, these will need to be taken by the next government. We will cautiously wait for the new government and continue making progress in this respect.
One expression that we have both employed is 'prudence' in these new times. We are not going to resolve in ten days of haste what has amounted to forty years of violence in this country. And everything needs to be managed seeking unity as far as possible to take the steps that need to be taken in this country: unity to establish a collective memory, unity for the democratic principle that we need in the Basque Country to stamp out hatred and intolerance, and unity to make progress in these new times.
Hence, it is true that this corresponds to the new government, but it is also true that this should be done under the premise of reaching a consensus to achieve this.
President of the Government.- I would like to say two things in this respect. The end of violence opens up a new political, social and civic era, particularly in the Basque Country. This era may be easier or harder according to the way it is managed and the sincere agreement of the democratic political forces in a policy of unity and vision of the future.
Terrorism is over and what is now needed is to establish co-existence. We need to maintain our memories of the past and develop whatever a situation of these characteristics requires. But I should say to you that I am confident that this new era, which has barely started, will go well; I am confident of that. The following are the factors that allow me to make this consideration.
The President of the Basque Regional Government has informed me of the attitude of the political forces. I am aware of the opinion of the majority of Basque society and the opinion of the Spanish people, and I am confident that this era which has recently dawned will go well.
Q.- Did you imagine when you came to government in 2004 that you would leave this legacy in the Basque Country?
President of the Government.- I can tell you that right from the start this was my greatest priority. This was the problem that most tormented Spanish society, and in particular Basque society, and I had a strong, a very strong desire to resolve it. I believe that this was explicit in the peace process of 2006. I remember well asserting that "the end of violence could not have a political price, but that politics could contribute to putting an end to violence". And by dint of a great deal of effort, of a great deal of social pressure that conquers political force and has led to this situation and by dint of remaining firm and effective when it has been most necessary, very firm and effective, we have reached this moment.
But, I insist, I do feel, above all, as I mentioned earlier, a very, very special tie. It is not easy to describe these things, it is not easy to describe them in public. When one, I repeat, has gone through such bad times and has spent so much time fighting terrorism, this, above all, gives me this very special tie to the Basque Country, but, above all, it gives me great satisfaction.
I can tell you that, when ETA announced the end of its terrorist activities on the 20th, it was difficult to choose a day in which politically and emotively one could feel that the things you were striving for were more worthwhile at a political level. It is difficult to find a day that compares with that day for me.
And, above all, what is most important, as I said a minute ago, is that I am fully confident in what is going to happen here, led by the President of the Basque Regional Government, so that this new era can be an era that is managed well.
Q.- Will you watch tonight's debate?
President of the Government.- Yes, of course, with great interest.
Q.- And what do you expect from the debate?
President of the Government.- Since I have participated in several, what I have is great respect for those who will take part. Great respect. Hence, I hope that all our citizens follow it with interest. I am confident.
Q.- There is always a winner. Are you confident in…?
President of the Government.- It is not a question of a winner, and that is always questionable. This has happened many times when it has taken place. It is a question of the ideas of both sides being clear and well laid out. I take it for granted that there will be a profound democratic respect and that the candidate Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba will present the ideas and the manifesto well.
Thank you very much.