Tag Archives: Basque separatist group ETA

Oct
5
2010
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Tension between Spain, Venezuela caused by ETA allegations

This article was originally posted by Saba News

Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega called on Tuesday at easing tensions between Venezuela and Spain after the statement of two members of Basque separatist group ETA saying they had received weapons training in Venezuela in 2008, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

De la Vega welcomed in press conference today the “very clear and cooperative” answer given by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, stressing the need to continue the investigation in cooperation between the two parties.

For his part, President Chavez denied in a statement broadcasted on Spanish television that Venezuela had contacts with ETA, describing such allegations as a “farce” and as part of a “permanent conspiracy” against the Venezuelan government.
Chavez stressed on his country’s rejection of “the activities of this terrorist organization without any reservation,” and showed his readiness to fully cooperate with the Spanish authorities.

A court order from the Spanish National Court said Monday that two members of Basque separatist group ETA, arrested for possession of explosives and weapons and integration in a terrorist organization, and received training in Venezuela in 2008.

Madrid had requested information from Caracas concerning the allegations made by the two, and activated a judicial and police cooperation mechanism with Venezuela.

Last month, ETA said it had decided to stop armed attacks but the announcement was greeted with skepticism by analysts and the Spanish government since the group has called several cease-fires in the past and broken them.

Some Spanish political figures demanded to cut ties with Venezuela if did not respond to the demands of the Spanish justice, saying it will not be easy having in account the strong ties between the two countries.

 
Apr
8
2010
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Venezuela’s Strongman Splurges on Russian Weapons

Washington Post Editorial
April 8, 2010

RUSSIAN PRIME Minister Vladimir Putin boasted after returning from a visit to Venezuela on Monday that he had sold President Hugo Chávez another $5 billion in weapons — a huge sum for a Latin American country that is deep in recession and busy rationing its water, electricity and hard currency. Take it as one more sign of the political, economic and human rights meltdown underway in a major U.S. oil supplier — and where it may lead.

The last time we looked in on developments in Venezuela, in January, we pointed out that Mr. Chávez had reacted to the unraveling of his economy and his shrinking popularity by stepping up repression of the opposition. That continues: In the past couple of weeks, the government arrested and brought criminal charges against three more leading critics. One is a former state governor and presidential candidate who said in an interview that Venezuela has become a haven for drug traffickers and terrorists. A second is the owner of the last television network that dares to criticize Mr. Chávez; the third is a deputy in the National Assembly who had denounced corruption.

Mr. Chávez’s move against former governor Oswaldo Álvarez Paz came after a Spanish judge issued an indictment accusing the government and armed forces of facilitating contacts between Colombia’s left-wing FARC terrorists and those of the Basque group ETA, who were allegedly concocting plots to assassinate the Colombian president and other leading politicians. Mr. Paz’s “crime” was to talk about this development. The Spanish dossier is one of several demonstrating material support for terrorism by Mr. Chávez, who has made little secret of his preference for the FARC over Colombia’s democratic government.

That brings us to the latest round of arms purchases from Russia, which come on top of $4 billion in weapons that Mr. Chávez already ordered from Moscow. The arsenal includes T-72 tanks, Mi-17 helicopters and advanced fighter jets — weapons suitable for the conventional war with which Mr. Chávez has repeatedly threatened Colombia.

The Obama administration’s response has been to soft-pedal most of this. Political arrests are met with perfunctory-sounding statements of concern. About the flood of Russian weapons, aimed at intimidating one of the closest U.S. allies in Latin America, the State Department observed that “we’re hard-pressed to see what legitimate defense needs Venezuela has for this equipment . . . we can probably think of better things that could be invested on behalf of the Venezuelan people.” Colombians — and average Venezuelans — can only hope such nonchalance is justified.

 
Mar
3
2010
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Spain Charges Chávez With Fostering “Illicit Cooperation” Between Terrorist Groups ETA, FARC

A Spanish judge this week formally charged Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his government with aiding and abetting Basque separatist group ETA and Colombia’s guerrilla group, FARC, in a plot to assassinate top political leaders.

The 25-page indictment by Spanish National Court Judge Eloy Velasco orders 12 alleged members of ETA and FARC to stand trial for coercing to assassinate former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana, as well as Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Vice President Francisco Santos during their respective visits to Spain.

“There is evidence…showing the cooperation of the Venezuelan government in the illegal collaboration between FARC and ETA,” according to the indictment.

A key figure in this case is Arturo Cubillas Fontán, who once served under Chávez as Venezuela’s Minister of Agriculture and is married to the Director General of the Ministry’s public affairs office.

According to the indictment, Mr. Fontán sought “military training for ETA members in the Colombian jungle, in exchange for ETA’s help in Spain, locating terrorist targets sought by FARC.”

The Venezuelan strongman reacted angrily to the charges, claiming it is “part of a campaign to discredit Venezuela.” During televised remarks, Mr. Chávez attacked the integrity of the Spanish government and President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Chávez professed he has “absolutely nothing to explain to Zapatero or anybody else.”