Little to agree on between Zapatero and Ibarretxe

Little to agree on between Zapatero and Ibarretxe
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By h.b. - May 21, 2008 - 12:55 AM

The lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, (right) with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on his arrival at the Moncloa Palace today - Photo EFE

Ibarretxe told the press after the meeting in the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, that the Prime Minister was on the defensive.

The leader of the Basque Parliament, Juan José Ibarretxe, met on Tuesday in Madrid with the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Speaking after the meeting the lehendakari said that he found the P.M. on the defensive insisting on the need to respect the Constitution, but that he, Ibarretxe, was not going to give up hope for his plans to hold a referendum on self determination for the Basque region, which he now wants to see in 2010.

Ibarretxe said that it was the Basque Terrorist Group ETA who were the main obstacle to the advancement of the region, and that Zapatero only had the subject of elections in his head.

He said it was unacceptable for Spanish Prime Ministers to have held negotiations with ETA, but refuse to do so with the lehendakari under the same conditions.

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