

Currently released so far... 13368 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
2011/05/20
2011/05/21
2011/05/22
2011/05/23
2011/05/24
2011/05/25
2011/05/26
2011/05/27
2011/05/28
2011/05/29
2011/05/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AEMR
AMGT
AR
APECO
AU
AORC
AJ
AF
AFIN
AS
AM
AFFAIRS
AA
ADM
ALOW
ACOA
ATRN
AID
AND
APER
ADANA
APEC
ADPM
ADCO
ABLD
AADP
AG
ARF
AMED
AY
AORG
ASEAN
ABUD
AROC
AE
AO
AL
APCS
AGAO
AINF
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AZ
ASUP
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
ASIG
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
AN
AIT
ANET
AGMT
ACS
AGR
AMCHAMS
AECL
AUC
AFGHANISTAN
ACAO
BR
BB
BG
BEXP
BY
BA
BRUSSELS
BU
BD
BK
BL
BH
BM
BTIO
BP
BO
BE
BILAT
BC
BX
BIDEN
BF
BBSR
BT
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CPAS
CA
CASC
CS
CBW
CIDA
CO
CODEL
CI
CROS
CU
CH
CWC
CMGT
CVIS
CDG
CD
CV
CG
CF
CHIEF
CJAN
CBSA
CE
CY
CM
CONS
CW
CN
CDC
CT
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
CYPRUS
COUNTRY
CBE
CIVS
COPUOS
CARSON
CTR
COUNTER
COM
CR
CFED
CKGR
CHR
CVR
CLINTON
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CIC
CITT
CAFTA
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CONSULAR
CLMT
CBC
CIA
CNARC
CIS
CEUDA
CAC
CL
CACS
CAPC
ECON
ETTC
EFIS
ETRD
EC
EMIN
EAGR
EAID
EU
EFIN
EUN
ECIN
EG
EWWT
EINV
ENRG
ELAB
EPET
EN
EAIR
EUMEM
ECPS
ELTN
EIND
EZ
EI
ER
ET
EINT
ECONOMIC
ENIV
EXIM
ES
ECONOMY
ERNG
ELECTIONS
ENERG
EK
EPA
ENGR
ETRC
ENVI
EXTERNAL
ELN
EAIDS
ECA
EFTA
EINVEFIN
EUREM
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EFINECONCS
ECOSOC
ETC
ENVR
EAP
EINN
EXBS
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
ESA
EAIG
EUR
EUC
ERD
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ENNP
ECINECONCS
ETRO
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECUN
GM
GG
GERARD
GT
GA
GR
GTIP
GLOBAL
GV
GH
GL
GOV
GOI
GF
GTMO
GANGS
GCC
GAERC
GE
GZ
GAZA
GY
GUILLERMO
GASPAR
IZ
IN
IAEA
IS
IMO
ILO
IR
IC
IT
ITU
IV
IMF
IBRD
INDO
IWC
IRAQI
ISRAELI
ITALY
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
ICAO
ITRA
IPR
INMARSAT
ID
ICRC
INTERNAL
IIP
IRS
ICTY
IQ
IO
ICJ
ILC
IEFIN
IA
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
INRB
IAHRC
ISRAEL
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
IL
IACI
IDA
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ITF
INRA
INRO
IBET
INTELSAT
IDP
ICTR
IRC
KNNP
KFLO
KDEM
KOMC
KSUM
KIPR
KFLU
KPAO
KE
KCRM
KJUS
KAWC
KZ
KSCA
KDRG
KCOR
KGHG
KPAL
KTIP
KMCA
KCRS
KPKO
KOLY
KRVC
KVPR
KG
KWBG
KMDR
KTER
KSPR
KV
KTFN
KWMN
KFRD
KSTH
KS
KN
KISL
KGIC
KSEP
KFIN
KTEX
KTIA
KUNR
KCMR
KMOC
KCIP
KTDB
KBIO
KU
KSTC
KICC
KIRC
KSEO
KSAF
KR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KIRF
KOCI
KMPI
KCRCM
KNUC
KIDE
KPAONZ
KHLS
KPRP
KHDP
KNUP
KHIV
KCSY
KTRD
KNAR
KWAC
KJUST
KTBT
KBCT
KNPP
KO
KBTS
KSCI
KACT
KFSC
KENV
KAWK
KHSA
KPRV
KVIR
KCFE
KX
KVRP
KCOM
KAID
KPWR
KTLA
KMFO
KNNPMNUC
KNDP
KMRS
KERG
KPOA
KRCM
KCFC
KNEI
KCHG
KPLS
KREL
KFTFN
KTFM
KLIG
KDEMAF
KRAD
KBTR
KGIT
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KPIR
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KRGY
KREC
KIFR
KSAC
KWMNCS
KPAK
KOMS
KFPC
KRIM
KDDG
KCGC
KPAI
KID
KMIG
KNSD
KWMM
MARR
MX
MASS
MOPS
MNUC
MCAP
MTCRE
ML
MR
MRCRE
MTRE
MASC
MY
MK
MAS
MO
MTCR
MIL
MAPP
MG
MD
MAR
MZ
MU
MP
MA
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MW
MT
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MARAD
MDC
MEPP
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MEDIA
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MPS
MC
NZ
NATO
NI
NO
NG
NL
NU
NPT
NS
NA
NATIONAL
NSF
NDP
NR
NSSP
NP
NIPP
NGO
NAS
NE
NZUS
NH
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NEW
NRR
NT
NASA
NAR
NK
NOVO
NATOPREL
NSC
NV
NPA
NSFO
NW
NORAD
NPG
OTRA
OECD
OVIP
OREP
OPRC
ODC
OIIP
OPDC
OAS
OSCE
OPIC
OMS
OEXC
OPAD
ODIP
OPCW
OIE
OFDP
OFFICIALS
OHUM
OSCI
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OBSP
OFDA
OVP
ON
OCII
OES
OCS
OIC
PGOV
PREL
PARM
PINR
PHUM
PM
PREF
PTER
PK
PINS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PBTS
PL
POL
PAK
POV
POLITICS
POLICY
PPA
PCI
PAS
PALESTINIAN
PROP
PTE
PA
PAIGH
PO
PROG
PJUS
POLITICAL
PMIL
PGOF
PDOV
PSI
PG
PRAM
PREO
PARMS
PAO
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PP
PS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
POLINT
PNAT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PY
PLN
PHUH
PEDRO
PF
PHUS
PTBS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGIV
PHUMPREL
POGOV
PEL
PINL
PBT
PINF
PRL
PSEPC
POSTS
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PGOC
PNR
PROV
RS
RP
RU
RW
RFE
RCMP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RICE
RM
REGION
RO
ROOD
RSP
RF
RELATIONS
RIGHTS
RUPREL
REMON
REACTION
REPORT
RSO
SZ
SENV
SOCI
SNAR
SY
SO
SP
SU
SI
SMIG
SYR
SA
SCUL
SG
SW
SR
SYRIA
SPECIALIST
SEN
SC
SF
SL
SAARC
SNARIZ
SARS
STEINBERG
SCRS
SWE
SN
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SENVKGHG
SANC
SHI
SEVN
SHUM
SK
SH
SNARCS
SPCE
SNARN
SIPRS
TRGY
TBIO
TSPA
TU
TPHY
TI
TX
TH
TIP
TSPL
TNGD
TP
TW
TZ
TF
TN
TC
TL
TV
TS
TT
TK
TD
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TINT
TFIN
TAGS
TR
TBID
THPY
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
USTR
UZ
USEU
UV
UG
UP
UNAUS
UNMIK
UY
USPS
UNHRC
USUN
UNESCO
UNCHR
UNHCR
USNC
UNEP
USOAS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNO
UNDP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
UNDC
UNICEF
UNCHC
UNCSD
UNFCYP
UNIDROIT
UNCND
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 07MADRID432, SPAIN/ETA: RELEASE OF PRISONER TRIGGERS POLITICAL
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07MADRID432.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
07MADRID432 | 2007-03-08 09:27 | 2010-12-09 12:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Madrid |
VZCZCXRO9436
PP RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHMD #0432/01 0670927
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 080927Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2032
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 2509
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MADRID 000432
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN/ETA: RELEASE OF PRISONER TRIGGERS POLITICAL
BATTLE
REF: MADRID 17
MADRID 00000432 001.2 OF 004
Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens; reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)
¶1. (C) Summary. Just two months after ETA's December 30 bomb
attack at Madrid's airport set off a bitter debate regarding
the Zapatero Government's handling of the Basque issue,
Zapatero has drawn fresh criticism for allowing a hunger
striking ETA member to serve the remainder of his sentence in
house arrest for "humanitarian" reasons. The prisoner, Jose
Ignacio de Juana Chaos, had served 17 years of a 30-year
sentence for his role in the deaths of 18 individuals in the
1980s, most of them members of the Spanish police and
security forces. However, as he was about to be released in
2005, prosecutors charged him with continued ETA activities
while in prison and eventually won an additional 3-year
conviction against him. De Juana undertook two hunger
strikes, igniting fervor among young Basque radicals and
becoming a central element in the national political debate
on how -- or even whether -- to maintain peace talks with
ETA. Former Minister of Defense Jose Bono told the
Ambassador that the Zapatero Government had determined that
De Juana was truly near death and that his "martyrdom" would
unleash a wave of ETA violence and definitively derail the
Basque peace process. There are rumors that Socialist elder
statesmen are privately critical of the De Juana decision,
even as they voice public support for Zapatero. The
opposition Popular Party (PP) and terrorist victims' groups
reacted with indignation and mass rallies, charging that
Zapatero has given in to ETA blackmail. The Socialist Party
(PSOE) has responded vigorously, asserting that De Juana's
treatment is no different than former President Aznar's
relocation of ETA prisoners to the Basque Region during
Aznar's own attempt to negotiate peace with ETA.
¶2. (C) The De Juana decision, along with the Government's
low-key response to the December 30 Barajas airport attack
and apparent willingness to consider allowing ETA's political
front to participate in May municipal elections in the Basque
Region, represent a huge gamble for the Zapatero Government.
Zapatero is betting that the electorate will prefer continued
talks with ETA, even under distasteful circumstances, to a
tough Government reaction that results in renewed ETA
violence. A key element of Zapatero's strategy is to equate
his own overtures to ETA with those undertaken by the PP in
the 1990s. Polls suggest widespread public disgust with De
Juana's release, but this has not translated into greater
political support for the PP. The inability thus far of the
PP to gain traction on this issue may explain why Zapatero
appears willing to place his Government's fortunes in the
hands of ETA and its political allies. End Summary.
//A NOTORIOUS ETA TERRORIST//
¶3. (U) De Juana Chaos, a former member of the Basque Regional
Police, became among the most vicious ETA terrorists and a
leader of ETA's feared "Madrid Commando" during the 1980s.
He was captured in January 1987 and was convicted of killing
12 Civil Guards and wounding 58 people in one attack, killing
five Civil Guards in another attack, and killing a Navy
Viceadmiral in a third attack. De Juana is accused of
involvement in as many as seven more deaths as well. In
1989, he was convicted to a total of 2,655 years in prison, a
symbolic punishment since he was convicted under the 1973
Penal Code which allowed for a maximum of 30 years
imprisonment.
¶4. (U) De Juana became eligible for release in 2005 under
normal penal guidelines allowing prisoners to reduce their
prison terms through "good behavior" and similar benefits.
However, a National Court magistrate blocked De Juana's
release in 2005 by charging him with making "terrorist
threats" in two articles he authored for the radical Basque
daily "Gara" near the end of his prison term. Also, although
many ETA terrorists had benefited from early release programs
during the Gonzalez, Aznar and Zapatero administrations,
Spanish public opinion was strongly against De Juana's
release because of the number of his victims and because he
had never expressed remorse.
¶5. (U) The new charges triggered a complex legal contest
pitting prosecutors and police against De Juana and ETA
support groups, at a time when the Zapatero Government was
undertaking tenuous peace talks with ETA. In November 2006,
the National Court agreed with the new charges against De
Juana and sentenced him to 12 more years in prison. On
appeal, the Supreme Court in February 2007 partially
overturned his conviction and reduced his sentence to 3 years
in prison for a single count of making terrorist threats.
MADRID 00000432 002.2 OF 004
This three-year term would have made him eligible for release
in 12 to 18 months (summer 2008), under normal prison
guidelines.
//DE JUANA BECOMES AN ETA HERO//
¶6. (U) While the treatment of ETA prisoners, and particularly
their dispersal throughout Spain, has long been a central
issue for ETA negotiators, the De Juana case did not gain
special status until De Juana announced a hunger strike on
August 8 to protest his continued incarceration. Observers
in the Basque Region reported rumors that ETA leaders had
opposed De Juana's hunger strike out of concern that it would
inflame ETA supporters and complicate peace talks with the
Zapatero Government. De Juana abandoned his hunger strike in
October, but initiated a second hunger strike on November 7,
a day after the National Court sentenced him to a further 12
years in prison. His condition reportedly declined despite
forced feeding by doctors, and in early February De Juana's
attorneys released pictures of him appearing emaciated and
attached to IV tubes to keep him hydrated. Between August
and February, De Juana became the most important symbol of
ETA resistance to Madrid, particularly among the young ETA
hardliners who have reportedly taken over the organization
and who were behind the December 30 attack at Barajas Airport
that killed two people.
¶7. (U) The February 12 decision of the Spanish Supreme Court
to reduce De Juana's sentence from 12 years to 3 years paved
the way for the Zapatero Government to release him. The
reduced final prison term made him eligible for release under
special humanitarian guidelines for prisoners facing
relatively short sentences. On February 28, Minister of
Interior Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba approved the transfer of De
Juana from a Madrid prison hospital to a hospital in San
Sebastian, near De Juana's home, as well as authorizing De
Juana to complete the remainder of his prison term in his
home under police and electronic surveillance once he has
recovered enough to leave the hospital. In a press
conference announcing the Government's decision to ease De
Juana's conditions, Rubalcaba emphasized the Government's
determination that De Juana was near death, or at least on
the point of suffering irreperable physical damage, and that
the Government's decision was made on humanitarian grounds.
Other Government officials defended the decision as
appropriate for an inmate with little more than a year left
in his prison term, also noting that De Juana had expressed
support for the Basque peace process. A judge officially
approved Rubalcaba's decision on March 1 and De Juana arrived
at a San Sebastian hospital the same day to a hero's welcome.
//BASQUE EXTREMISTS CHEER VICTORY, PP CONDEMNS RELEASE//
¶8. (U) An ETA prisoner support group quickly claimed a
political victory for radical Basque nationalists and urged
the release of seven more ETA prisoners who are in poor
health. A representative of ETA political front group
"Batasuna" demanded the immediate release of sick ETA
prisoners and the relocation to the Basque Region of all
other ETA prisoners (a long-standing Batasuna demand). While
some in Batasuna and ETA seem willing to downplay De Juana's
release to avoid embarrassing Zapatero, most ETA supporters
clearly view the hunger strike as an effective weapon in
negotiations with the Government. Several prisoners
(including several common criminals) have announced their own
plans for hunger strikes.
¶9. (U) The PP and groups representing victims of terrorism
were quick to respond to news of De Juana's release,
denouncing the decision as tantamount to succumbing to ETA
blackmail. A PP youth group staged an unauthorized
demonstration in front of the Ministry of Interior the day De
Juana's release was announced and several "semi-spontaneous"
demonstrations called by victims rights groups have taken
place throughout the country, attracting several thousand
people each. Several demonstrations have been marred by the
participation of far-right Francoist and fascist groups. The
PP is organizing a massive protest march for March 10 (by
coincidence, the eve of third anniversary of the March 11,
2004 Madrid train attacks by Islamist extremists) under the
motto "Spain for Liberty - No More Concessions to ETA."
//ZAPATERO WALKING A FINE LINE//
¶10. (C) The Zapatero Government understands that it has
assumed a significant political risk, both in releasing De
Juana and in continuing to seek peace with ETA. Former
Minister of Defense Jose Bono told the Ambassador that the
MADRID 00000432 003.2 OF 004
Zapatero Government had determined that De Juana was truly
near death and that his "martyrdom" would unleash a wave of
ETA violence and definitively derail the Basque peace
process. While releasing De Juana under pressure was certain
to cost Zapatero political support, Zapatero and the PSOE
reportedly determined that ETA's resurgence would be far
worse, both in terms of human lives and in political
consequences. Though all senior PSOE leaders, past and
present, have expressed public support for Zapatero's
decision on De Juana, Bono and former President Gonzalez were
rumored to be adamantly opposed in private. During his
tenure as MOD, Bono was outspoken in his opposition to Basque
nationalists.
¶11. (C) The Government will soon face yet another political
challenge: deciding whether to fight or support the
participation of ETA political group Batasuna in Basque
municipal elections in May. Although many observers
discarded any possibility of Batasuna's participation in
elections after the December 30 airport attack, it now seems
that Zapatero and his advisers are inclined to support
participation by Batasuna, or its candidates running under
another banner. A Batasuna role in Basque elections would be
certain to draw relentless criticism by the PP, and likely
grumbling from within the PSOE as well.
//POLITICAL KNIVES SHARPENED//
¶12. (C) While the De Chaos case will be the immediate cause,
the PP hopes its March 10 demonstration will convey
widespread dissatisfaction with Zapatero's ETA/Basque policy
and prove a political liability for the Socialists in the May
27 regional/municipal elections. Various polls conducted
following the announcement of De Juana's release indicate
broad disgust with the decision. In a poll by Spain's second
leading daily, "El Mundo," 63 percent of respondents called
De Juana's release "Bad or Very Bad" and 63 percent
(including 58 percent of self-identified PSOE voters) said
they expected Zapatero's decision would negatively affect the
PSOE in upcoming elections. A separate poll indicated strong
public support (80 percent) for tougher sentencing
guidelines, but tracked with other polls in indicating that
the PSOE would still edge out the PP the general elections
(scheduled to take place by March 2008, but there is
speculations that Zapatero could call elections as early as
November).
¶13. (C) Zapatero and the PSOE are countering PP criticism by
equating the De Juana decision to former President Aznar's
decision to move a number of ETA prisoners to the Basque
Region as part of 1998 negotiations with ETA. The PSOE has
produced two videos detailing Aznar administration overtures
to ETA and calling the current PP attacks hypocritical.
Zapatero has also threatened to divulge previously "secret"
PP dealings with ETA during the Aznar Government, leading PP
figures to threaten to resurface the so-called "GAL Case,"
the PSOE's dirty war against ETA during the Gonzalez
Government. The political environment surrounding these
various ETA issues is likely to become even more volatile
through the May 27 municipal/regional elections, and through
the runup to the national elections in late 2007 or early
¶2008.
//COMMENT//
¶14. (C) As the De Juana episode makes clear, Zapatero is
willing to raise the ante in pursuit of avoiding violence and
furthering the Basque peace process, which he views as the
central legacy of his administration. To a significant
extent, he has placed his political future in ETA's hands.
In fact, many within Zapatero's PSOE ranks privately believe
that these high stakes are unreasonable, particularly in the
wake of the December 30 ETA bombing at Barajas airport.
Nevertheless Zapatero is counting on the PP to fumble the
opportunity and not be able to mount a successful challenge
to the PSOE's leadership in the national elections - as long
as ETA violence is held in check. ETA is doubtlessly aware
that it holds the wildcard in those elections and will
extract whatever concessions it can over the next several
months. However, the Zapatero Government cannot concede on
core ETA demands, such as Basque self determination, and the
key question is whether the Government will be able to do
enough to stave off another ETA blast, with its attendant
political consequences. Thus far, the PP and its leader
Mariano Rajoy have not been able to gain substantial
political momentum beyond their own core base, despite all of
the issues surrounding Zapatero's ETA policy - mainly because
the Spanish public views the PP as too right wing and too
associated with Aznar's perceived mistakes following the
MADRID 00000432 004.2 OF 004
March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid.
AGUIRRE