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Spain Papers Review - Wed Mar 1st 2006
By h.b. - Mar 1, 2006 - 9:55 AM

ABC today
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A mix of leading stories today
El Mundo leads with the revelation that the Ex Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Vera and the Operational Chief of the Civil Guard, Félix Hernando, will have to sit on the accused bench, accused of paying 200 million to José Amedo in Switzerland. The case, known as the suitcases affair, allegedly proves they used government money to fund the GAL terrorist gruoup.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court has ruled that ETA activist Henri Parot, who has been charged with 150 killings, ‘the principle of humanity must be with the victims’ and the terrorist must therefore remain in jail until 2020 for the 26 counts of murder he has been found guilty of.

El Pais leads with members of the PP and the PSOE remaining deaf to calls for unity against ETA and in the fight against terrorism. The paper mentions that ETA have set off another bomb, the sixth in two weeks.

El Mundo has a picture of the scuffles outside the Maestranza Theatre in Seville yesterday as the Duchess of Alba was being named Honorary Daughter of the region. Farm workers say she is aristocracy and does not represent the region.

El Pais reports that the prosecutor is investigating possible mis-use of public funds in opinion polls and surveys carried out by the CiU governments in Cataluña.

ABC leads with a recommendation from the General Council for Judicial Power who have advised the President of the Supreme Court not to go to Congress. He’s been called to explain the court’s doctrine with regard to ETA.

El Mundo is among the papers to report that the Vice President of Real Madrid football club, Fernández Tapias, and other directors have called for immediate new elections for the post of President.
La Razón has a picture of outgoing Florentino Pérez who was introducing his chosen successor Fernando Martín.
ABC has an interview with Florentino Pérez who says that the players have lost the values of work, effort and ambition.

El Pais reports that Gas Natural is expected to improve its take over offer for Endesa, but the paper says it will not search for partners to make it happen.

ABC says that the visit to Valencia in July by the Pope is causing more problems between the Church and Government.

La Razón says that 3 year old children are to receive education on how to be a good citizen. The paper says the government is hiding in European Directives for an improvement in behaviour in schools.
The paper says that the Minister for Education has said that we have to build ‘democratic pluralism’ in infant school.

ABC notes that the EC Ethics Committee has come out against the use of private banks for human stem cells from umbilical cords. The subject still one of hot debate in Spain following the Prince and Princess of Asturias’s decision to send Infanta Elenor’s blood to a private company in the United States.

La Vanguardia notes that the government is promoting the purchase of new energy efficient electrical appliances. 50 € for your old iron in a measure which starts before July.

Outside Spain, El Mundo covers the dead cat in Germany, and says the case increases the risk of human infection. The paper says a very strong variant of the virus is spreading across Sweden.

El Pais has a picture of a man jumping barbed wire in Iraq and says that there have been another 60 deaths in the ongoing violence against mosques in the country.

And finally,
The age of political correctness appears to have arrived in Spain, or at least in the North African enclave of Ceuta. The singing carnival groups who invent their own lyrics are called Chirigotas – and one has been denounced there for being racist. The lyrics are certainly strong – ‘What bad did Hitler do – if the Turks are animals’ they sing.