Spain Papers Review - Thursday July 24 2008

Spain Papers Review - Thursday July 24 2008
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By h.b. - Jul 24, 2008 - 9:39 AM

Today's ABC front page featuring Carlos Sastre

The effects of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition in the Moncloa Palace yesterday lead many of the papers in Spain this morning.

El País highlights that the two main parties PSOE and PP are once again united against the Basque terrorist group ETA. The paper says that Zapatero and Rajoy are re-editing the anti-terrorism pact which includes an undertaking not to negotiate with terrorists.
El País tells us the arrested ETA Vizcaya cell were planning a large attack in Getxo.
El Mundo considers the balance of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the opposition leader was poor.
It says Zapatero and Rajoy show agreement against ETA, but a lack of an agreement on the economy. El Mundo says that Zapatero described Rajoy's economic proposals as ‘incoherent and old’ while he did not explain his own. The two said they would agree a pact on the renewal of the General Council for Judicial Power and the Constitutional Court in September.
ABC says that Zapatero and Rajoy have disagreed over the crisis, put have distanced themselves from the ‘crispación’ – political discord of the past. The paper also notes that ETA was planning a large attack in Guecho.
ABC also notes that Minister Cabrera has admitted that the current deficit in the public accounts puts the Government’s new dependency law at risk. The paper says the regions are demanding that Madrid guarantees the funds needed.
Público considers that the opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, has come down from the mountain, adding in brackets – or not?. The paper says that supports the government in anti-terrorism matters and accepts the renewal of the judiciary in September, but disagrees with Zapatero on the economic situation. The paper claims to have the details of some of the proposals discussed in the Moncloa yesterday.
La Vanguardia headlines that Zapatero and Rajoy finally agree.

Many papers honour the stage in the Tour de France yesterday won by Spaniard Carlos Sastre, who has now taken over the leader’s yellow jersey in the race. El País has a large front page photo of the rider crossing the winning line yesterday, but says the remaining time trial in the race could complicate matters for him.
El Mundo says it was a grand ride by the Spaniard who climbed the Alpe d’Huez alone.
ABC also has a large front page photo.

El Mundo continues its campaign to support the Castellano language. Today the paper says the new Catalan Education Law denies the right to learn in Castellano at the Primary level.

El Páis tells us that the man wanted for genocide, Radovan Karadizic was living an exemplary life in Belgrade in disguise upto his arrest last Monday. The paper notes that he says he will act for his own defence when the trial against him gets underway in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

El Mundo has a photo of Barack Obama in Israel. The paper says that he has defended ‘all the options to avoid a nuclear Iran’.

El País today features a special report from the first military trial to be held in Guantanamo Bay. The paper has a reporter, Mónica Belaza present at the proceedings.

Back in Spain, El País notes that the Government has come out in support of the real estate companies by announcing plans to purchase land for the construction of new assisted VPO homes. The plan starts in October and was revealed yesterday by Housing Minister, Beatriz Corredor. El País says it starts with a budget of 300 million.

El Mundo notes that two years after the accident a judge has allowed the train carriages which were involved in the Valencia metro accident to be destroyed. 43 people died in the crash for which no one has been deemed responsible.

And finally,
El País gives some details of the mafias which are in operation in Spanish prisons and give as an example that you can buy a bottle of whisky in the Palma jail for 300 €. A mobile phone cost 1,500 €. The mafia in the prison has just been broken up by the authorities there.

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