Arnaldo Otegi gives first interview since arrest

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Sunday July 29, 2007 13:15 by manpower adecco randstad

Mr Arnadlo Otegi Mondragon as you remember is the leader of the basque independence armed force tradition people. His interview has been carried in this Sunday's Gara which as you remember is the daily newspaper of the basque independence armed force tradition people complete with classified sections for those who need a new washing machine or television and don't want to fork out loads of dosh on new ones with built-in obselence. Otegi also has a new website which will be collecting signatures from those people who want him out of prison.
He has spoken not of failure , for some progress has been made... and prudence . Ask the person to show you the washing machine working or take the bike for a spin first.

the website for people who want to sign up for Otegi -
http://www.arnaldoaskatu.org

* There have now been 22 detentions of ETA people since that group decided to end its ceasefire.

* There is still no agreed regional government in Navarra.

* The man who sold secrets to the russians was a "topo" (or mouse as the spanish slang calls spies) in ETA in the late 1990's as well. Here's a photo of him - http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/ex/espia/CNI/enca...2/Tes

links to coverage -

Otegi - "agreement is neccesary and possible" article from pro-indepedence Catalan newspaper with a little file photo of him in front of a Navarran flag.
http://www.vilaweb.cat/www/noticia?p_idcmp=2498145

the Spanish press decided to put Mr Otegi's story next to their coverage of their russian double agent having spied "ineptly" on ETA.
El Pais entitled the story "the Spanish government lacks the maturity to reach agreement"
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Otegi/afirma/Gobi...2/Tes

the BBC aren't covering it & are just talking about the end of logistics in French ETA which also means the end of arms-dumps with arrests last week which followed the end of document creation with arrests a week before that. Of course maybe that isn't true - they just put this stuff in newspapers. I'm sure there are experts in Ireland who can clarify it all in the comments & even put up translations of Otegi's interview as soon as they come down the reek.

Closer to our partitioned home, as you might have noticed there has been this last week a very serious moot in elements of the UK security and special services over the proposed extention of internment style laws and the use of torture. It appears that plod and MI5 are all up for electrodes and backrubs and dark little rooms and MI6 wouldn't give up Osama if a hair on his head was touched & people didn't treat him with a bit of respect on account of him being ancient and stuff. Of course that maybe isn't true - it's just the stuff they put in newspapers & how I'm interpreting it for you.

how internment came to the table about six weeks ago
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2126704....html
how MI6 wanted to rule out torture (coz bleeding is messy & the drugs don't work)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2136651,00.html
how the chattering classes now know about MI5 torturing iraqi's - very good story -
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2137144....html

you know in your dark hearts that people who play that type of game on any side aren't really gentle, meek or sweet. don't you? yes. you do.