Spanish Press Review
Spain Papers Review - Monday April 7 2008
By h.b. - Apr 7, 2008 - 9:51 AM
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El Mundo leads with the claim that the Government offered Basque Terrorists ETA the creation of common institutions across the Basque Country and Navarra. The paper says the offer was made in the meetings held in Geneva after the bomb attack on the Terminal Four car park at Madrid Barajas airport at the end of 2006. The paper says the idea was finally rejected by ETA, and also included a ‘road map’ for the changes.
As El Mundo looks back, El País looks forward and says that the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zaptero will offer a new agreement on terrorism, including a ban on talks with ETA, as part of his investiture speech in Congress this week. The paper says the Prime Minister will also announce the bringing forward of public works in an attempt to re-activate the economy.
There is more speculation in the Spanish press today that Esperanza Aguirre, the PP head of the Madrid regional government, will launch an attempt on the leadership of the party at the forthcoming party congress.
El Mundo reports that her ‘number two’, Francisco Granados is to ask at the party congress for a debate on why they lost the general election.
El País notes that there is ill-feeling in the PP bases where most votes were obtained at the poll at how party delegates are being shared out by Rajoy. The paper says that Andalucia and Galicia have been favoured over Murcia, Madrid and Valencia.
Público leads with what it calls the hidden war of the right wing.
The paper says the P.P. in Madrid fears that Camps will align himself with Gallardón. The paper says the Madrid paper takes it as read that Rajoy will not be a candidate to lead the party in 2012.
ABC says that Esperanza Aguirre will be at the paper’s forum today. She has told ABC that she will not let the party be cornered as ‘an old party’.
El Mundo notes that the acting Justice Minister, Sr. Bermejo has reached an agreement with the unions to end the civil servants strike in the judiciary, including a demand that there is no balloting of members on the deal.
El País notes that the strike ends with the workers getting 190 € a month more.
ABC notes the agreement comes just two days before the investiture of Zapatero as the Prime Minister. The paper considers the minister has given way to the pressure after two months of strike, thousands of matters delayed, according to the paper, for more than a year.
El País notes that the Supreme Court has opened the way to revising the sentencing procedure for rapists in Spain. At the centre of the debate is a man known as the Vall d’Hebron rapist based in Barcelona. He was sentenced to 311 years in jail for 17 rapes, and has now served 16 years and is due for release. The changes planned would extend the time served in jail by the rapists.
In international stories:
El Mundo has a photo of Carla Bruni. The French first lady is seen at a demonstration calling for the freedom of Ingrid Betancourt, the ex Presidential candidate being held hostage by FARC guerrillas in Colombia.
El País has a front page photo of the backs of Presidents Bush and Putin. The paper says the men supported a common defence system with Europe at their goodbye summit, but did not agree on the US plans for a defensive shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
ABC has a front page photo of the pro-Tibet protestors trying to disrupt the marathon running of the Olympic Torch in London yesterday. The paper says there were at least 15 arrests and the matter is its editorial today.
The death of Charlton Heston makes the front pages of some of the papers in Spain today. El Mundo describes him as the last ‘galán’ of epic films.
Back in Spain,
El Mundo reports that the banks could call on those who have a mortgage to supply other assets if the value of their homes falls by more than 20%.
El País has a report on the new massive real estate development at Seseña south of Madrid. The area, promoted by the man known as El Pocero, Francisco José Hernando, who built 13,000 homes there is now described by the paper as a ghost town. The article leads with the headline – ‘I’ll reduce the flat price to 200,000 €, 10,000 less than it cost me three years ago’.
Público has a two page report today on how the real estate crisis is affecting the coastal areas of the country.
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