National
King calls for political consensus in the fight against terrorism
By h.b. - Dec 26, 2006 - 8:08 AM
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King Juan Carlos called for consensus between the political parties and the institutions to reach an end to terrorism.
Speaking to the nation at 9pm on Nochebuena Christmas Eve in his traditional Christmas message broadcast from one of the halls of the Zarzuela Palace, the King said now was the time to redouble efforts in that direction, from a point of mutual respect with sincere and responsible dialogue, and always with full respect for the Spanish constitution.
He said the only response to extortion, coercion and violence is the full implementation of the law. He also had words, as he does every year, for the victims and their families.
economic growth, above the European average, although he said more effort should be made to see that the benefit from this was seen by the citizens at large, he called for a continued fight against poverty and social exclusion and he called the recent dependency law a good example of this.
He wanted to see more and better employment, social welfare, heath cover or access to housing. On the latter he noted that real estate development must be in the general interest and preserve the environment.
Finally, the King thanked the Armed Forces for their peace keeping missions and the protection of human rights, as well as the Spanish volunteers working across the world.
The political parties have responded positively to the King’s call, with the Socialists describing his statement has ‘reasoned and measured’. The PP said it was prepared to follow the request for unity from the King on the subject of terrorism.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, sent a Christmas video message to the troops serving overseas. He thanked them for their commitment, sacrifice, work and loyalty to Spain, and underlined the country’s commitment to peace keeping.