Basque PM: "Why do they fear society’s wishes?"

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Basque premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe. Photo: EITB

The Basque premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe said on Wednesday that with the presentation of the Referendum project, the door which leads to the right to decide, is opened forever and there is no backward movement.

Moreover, he underlined that next June 27 “is going to be historical”, and there are not “excuses” for the parties to vote on the referendum at the Basque Parliament.

In an interview to the Basque public radio station Euskadi Irratia, the Basque premier said that next Friday’s debate is going to be historical and the most important thing “is not that Basque leftist party EHAK or Basque socialists say yes or no”, but “knowing society’s wishes”.

“For the first time in history, a government and a Basque premier are going to present a Referendum project to let Basques from Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa decide their future, and it is going to be a historical debate. The most important thing is knowing society’s wishes and I don’t know why they are so afraid”, he pointed out.

PSE’s attitude

He also maintained that the passing of the referendum project is not only in EHAK’s hands, but in hands of “all members of parliament too”, and he underlined that it would be “incomprehensible” to “say ‘no’ to Basque society and know what its will is”.

Besides, he pointed out that it is also "in hands of Patxi Lopez" since as he said, socialists say once and again that they accept the right to decide, so that they now have a great opportunity”.

"Socialists talk once and again about an agreement among Basque people. However, the Statute of Gernika was an agreement among Basque people too which was passed more than 30 years ago, but it is incomplete. It is also in hands of Patxi Lopez what it is decided on Friday”, he repeated.

On the other hand, Basque PM considered that even if “we have seen assassinations and all kind of things lately”, the cycle of ETA’s violence is “socially and politically finished” and that the “contribution” that the organization should do in these moments is “to end cease-fire definitely”.