National
Spain announces more police to be used in the fight against terrorism
By h.b.
May 27, 2008 - 6:49 PM

The Spanish Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, has announced that 500 new police agents will be added to the teams who are fighting ETA terrorism and Islamic cells in Spain, taking the number to 140,000.
Rubalcaba made the announcement in Congress today where he was giving the outlines of his department’s policy for this legislature. He said the state was stronger than ever, and that sooner or later ETA would have to give up.

However the Minister for the Interior also warned that despite the recent successes against ETA, the terrorists already had new management structure in place, and they were still capable of inflicting great damage.

He also referred to international terrorism and the fight against organised crime and underlined the importance of cooperation between different country’s security forces.

While immigration had been one of the motors of the Spanish economy in recent years, he also commented that the fight against illegal immigration must continue, respecting the rights and guarantees of the immigrants.

Speaking of immigrants, the Spanish Government has announced plans to pay them their unemployment pay in one lump, with the condition that they return to their country of origin. Unions think that the measure will not work, despite the idea of the International Migrations Organisation to organise micro-credits so that the immigrants can establish their own businesses when they get back to their countries. Since they started operations in Spain they have helped 2,844 immigrants to return home.

Meanwhile the Civil Guard today arrested a man in Sevilla for his support for terrorism. The arrest was made in a cybercafé in the city and came on the orders of the National Court. M.L. was arrested at a Café in Calle Ramón y Cajal at noon, and a nearby flat was searched later. Reporting restrictions have been established in the case.