Paris vetoes again a distinct Basque region in the North

If anything has achieved the French Minister of Interior (police) Manuel Valls rejecting upfront any sort of Basque distinct administration within the upcoming decentralization law, it has been to unite all the Basque representatives from the Nationalist Left (Batasuna, AB) to the Unionist Right (UDF, UMP) against his inflexibility. 

Valls declared that he frontally opposes any sort of distinct administrative entity in the Northern Basque Country, linking it to ETA, something that everyone else considers a pathetic pretext for imperialist persistence. 

His party comrade Colette Capdevielle (state deputy, Bayonne) denounced that ETA and Northern Basque self-administration are not linked and that the minister was acting outside his role, because there is already another minister in charge of the design of the new law under preparation. 

She also criticized Valls in relation with ETA's disarmament because his positions are clearly against the declaration of Aiete (by high profile international facilitators), and therefore a sabotage of the peace process. 

She wished that Valls would come in person to see what's going on here in the Basque Country. 

Another PS representative to criticize Valls was Sylviane Alaux, as well as senator Frédérique Espagnac.

François Maitia, President of the Aquitaine Regional Council, was also strongly critical, emphasizing that ETA already declared a year ago that is abandoning armed struggle irreversibly. 

From the Unionist Right also, J.J. Lasserre (UDF senator and president of the Council of Basque Elects), Max Brisson (UMP) considered Valls declarations totally out of place.

Batasuna speaker Xabi Larralde said that Valls is not really socialist because his attitude is exactly the same as Sarkozy's, being completely under the clout of the Spanish neo-fascists in power in Madrid.

Against prisoner repatriation

Manuel Valls also declared to be against prisoner repatriation in the Basque as in the Corsican conflict.

His police forces recently arrested three ETA members in what has been perceived as yet another attempt to force the collapse of the Basque peace process, stagnated before French and Spanish intransigence. 

Source: Gara[es].



Update:

The PS Basque elects have written a letter to Minister Valls demanding retraction, very specially in linking ETA to Basque self-rule.

The letter can be read in the original French version at Kazeta or in an Spanish translation at Gara.