The death of a Spanish Civil Guard, Raul Centeno, who was killed by the militant separatist group ETA at the town of Capbreton in south-west France on Saturday is a tragic escalation in a conflict which many had hoped was moving towards a resolution.

The incident is unusual in that it is the first such attack by Eta in France since 1976. The fact that the Basque conflict spans the border area of Spain and France is often overlooked but of course two provinces in France are an integral part of the Basque country.

Military actions by ETA in France are unusual and it is also perturbing that the police officer who died so unnecessarily and a colleague who was injured were apparently operating clandestinely in France presumably as part of an operation aimed at ETA. The presence of the Spanish police on French territory is being explained as possibly part of a "plain-clothes anti-terrorist operation with French counterparts in France".

Perhaps if France, Spain and the European Union put as much effort into promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict as they are apparently putting into 'anti-terror operations' some solution could be found.

It is incumbent on all NGOs in Europe who work for the self-determination of national minorities to redouble efforts to apply pressure through the EU to resolve this long running conflict via peaceful means. In the meantime it is to be hoped that there is no 'knee-jerk' reaction from the French authorities to this latest death.

In the past French 'crackdowns' on Basques living in France have invariably targeted those not involved in violence but rather those who were political exiles. It is to be hoped that French police will avoid the 'ham-fisted' approach they have adopted in the past.

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

05/12/07

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