1 August 2009 / MİLLİYET SAMİ KOHEN,
In reaction to the recent attack by the Basque separatist group ETA in Burgos, some said in Turkey, “Look, does terror stop even though democratic rights and autonomy have been granted to ethnic groups?”
At first glance, the incident in Spain may seem that it doesn't, but the situation is not that simple. It is not correct to make a connection between granting autonomy to the Basque region and the continuation of terrorist actions. This question should have been asked at the beginning: If Spain had not granted autonomy to some regions with its 1978 constitution as part of the democratization process following the Franco era and if the government had chosen the “militaristic option,” would the ETA terrorist organization have ended? ETA is an organization that was founded 50 years ago. It has been conducting terrorist activities for 40 years. It has one target. To found a state that includes the regions populated by Basque people in the south of France and northern Spain.
