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Spanish envoys told to blame ETA
I think we need to get Sundayâs election out of the way before we get to the truth. The Spanish government told its ambassadors to spread the word that armed Basque separatist group ETA was to blame for the Madrid bombings within hours of the attacks, a leading newspaper has reported. The report came amid increased grumbling from government critics on Saturday that Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznarâs ruling party might be pointing the finger at ETA -- and minimising suspicions Muslim militants were involved -- for political reasons. "You should use any opportunity to confirm ETAâs responsibility for these brutal attacks, thus helping to dissipate any type of doubt that certain interested parties may want to promote," El Pais quoted Foreign Minister Ana Palacio as writing in a memo. If ETA is judged to blame, the ruling centre-right Popular Party could gain support because because of its tough stance against the Basque separatists. But analysts say it could lose if al Qaeda or other radical Islamic groups were shown to be involved, as the attacks could be portrayed as retaliation for Aznarâs unpopular support for war in Iraq. Moot point! "The Interior Minister has confirmed ETAâs responsibility," This is confirmed by the explosive and style used, as well as other information that has not yet been made public for obvious reasons," the text said, according to the newspaper. Since then, the Spanish government has been less categorical in its public comments, affirming ETA remains its main line of investigation but saying it is also pursuing other theories. The discovery of a van with detonators and a tape in Arabic, plus a purported letter claiming responsibility for a group aligned to al Qaeda, have fed suspicions of Arab involvement. Some stuff cut "There are some facts that, deep down, make me think itâs ETA. As well as what Iâm told, I have the moral conviction," Rajoy told the pro-government El Mundo newspaper. As I stated earlier, the conclusion that ETA is reponsible my well be true but so far there is no compelling evidence. Posted by: Phil B 2004-03-13 |
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