The Times, the Spectator. April 1978
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Speedier handover to Catalans presse From Harry Debelius himself and Señor Tarradellas. Madrid, April 3 s " We both agree to work for Señor Josep Tarrädellas, the a more democratic Spain, . to president of the Generalität, the strengthen the. unity, of Spain Catalan regional government, through the establishment of conferred in Madrid today with home rule." Señor Adolfo Suárez, the Prime Although neither. of the two Minister, and other political mentioned it, one . of the and military leaders in an toughest points in the negotia-. effort to speed up the transfer tions about the degree of of responsibilities and authori• autonomy for Catalonia is the ties to the Generalität. ^ matter of taxes and government After a one-hour meeting expenditure. ',. with the Prime Minister, Señor Señor Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Tarradellas said that it had been the leader of the conservative as cordial as the previous ones, Popular Alliance and former but he refused to disclose what Minister of the Interior, said had been discussed. He denied in Granada at the weekend that that a proposal to establish full the death penalty should be legal parity between'Castilian mandatory for the killing of a Spanish and the Catalan lan• policeman. He also called for guage was the most important a law to increase police powers of the matters under discussion. to deal, with terrorism. i; Princess returns: Princess Irene Señor . Tarradellas • told of Holland, wife of Prince reporters that he would meet Carlos Hugo de Bourbon-Parma, Señor Suárez- again on Thurs• leader of the Spanish Car list day.' He then left for talks with Party, returned to Spain today Lieutenant-General Manuel after nine years in exile. Gutiérrez Mellado, the Deputy The princess and he husband, Española Prime Minister for Defence. King Juan Carlos will receive who have French nationality, the Catalan leader on Wednes• were expelled from Spain in 1S68 for political activity day. v; . Before their meeting, Señor against General Franco's regime. : Suárez said that there were no Prince Carlos Hugo returned tb conflicting viewpoints between Spain five months ago.—AP. Remains of ex-President brought home to Spain From Harry Debelius In another political develop• Madrid, April 6 ment, Señor Suárez, the Prime Closing ranks in a way they Minister, has told the Congress had failed to do "in his life that he intends to continue to time, Spanish Communists and seek a consensus on policy until Socialists paid homage here after the approval of a. new today to Señor Francisco Largo constitution. TRANSICIÓNCaballero, the late President of Apparing before rh Lower the Republic, as his body was House last night to give his brought back to his homeland first addres to Parliament this for burial. year, Señor- Suárez denied that A coffin bearing the remains there had been any " goveriW of the socialist leader arrived ment crisis". He said that,th<> in -Madrid by air from Paris, shake-up last month was tHe where he died in exile in 1946 result of the resignation of at the age of 76. Relatives and Professor Enrique- Fuentes a delegation of the general Quintana from 'the post of Labour Union, "which he once Deputy Prime Minister y for headed, received the coffin Economic Affairs. and took it to the union's head• The Prime Ministr defended quarters. his practice of seeking general The Spanish Socialist Work• agreement among leaders of the ers' Party, the Popular Social• various parties.before adopting ist Party and the Spanish Com• any political " or . economic munist Party _ all - arranged course. He called for a " truce " special ceremonies in honour in the meantime. • of the late President. His body The special plenary session Fundación is to be reinterred in Madrid's of Congress lasted until after civil cemetery, next to that of midnight and -was resumed his wife, on Saturday. Until again this morning. •' '•, then it will lie in state at the Señor Manuel Fraga Iribarne, union headquarters. a conservative and - once Although he was called "the General Franco's Ambassador' Spanish Lenin" because of his in London, rejected the' Prime revolutionary attitude, he ' lost Minister's idea and called for the support of the communists simpl majorit yrule. ; at a critical moment during the " We have not come here to Spanish Civil War. Señor Largo ask the Government to quit, Caballero was President from but to ask it to govern, to September, 1936, two months govern, to administer. The after the outbreak of the Civil horse has been saddled long War, until April, 1937. enough. It's timeto ride." Spain debates ease|| for joining Nat(te|y/? From Our Correspondent . .Adopting a stance.of neutra- Madrid, April 4 lity'would, he said, have serious . The policy speech to rive repercussions oirJ the European senate last month" by Señor balance of - power; The Penta• Marcelino Oreja, the Foreign gon takes the same view. Minister, in which he broached Since the Oreja ápeech Señor for.itfie first time the sensitive Enrique Miigica, the Socialist issue 'of Spain joining ';Natoif president of the Cortes' defence has jstarted, a timid "debate bit committee, and Señor' Luis the issue after two years of Solana, a Socialist MP, have official silence. *.-: visited Washington, where Nato With the new democratic Con-' was discussed.';' '".' ,: ' •>' "•'"' stitution and Spain's application The American ; view: is that to join the EEC under, dogged while Spain's; .membership of discussion "along, ^...'witíi * the Nato is very impprtaht, any un- country's mounting economic •; due. pressure , to join_ would problems, the Government!has probably be counterproductive. mdre.than enougdi on its Víate. It is also held that the different Española -'^Nevertheless Señor .Adolfo [parties must "arrive at some Suárez; the- Prime Minister^ltaS' -kind of-general agreement on felt thatthe time has comentó, the .issue, for a divided Spain give the'subject an airing and' would* not be. a very .'"desirable take some "of the wind out of* member. If Spain's1 wish is to the sails of tire left, which, has be part of Europe, then it can• lately_ - been "reiterating its not pick and'choose and must i opposition to Nato •membership. baiong wholeheartedly. ' '' \ There is talk of a padiainient.ary ,In both the Socialist and debate in October. *Í%:¡$?$&fíi¿ Communist parties there- is' a One. of the main problems, is strong' aM-Américah. .feeling, that whereas there is agreement ' generated by. the American in• • on' EEC membership and' the fluence during the Franco dic• need for -Spain to play, its tatorship. .. '... ; economic role in Europe,; there Recent Wcstera estimates put are1; widespread "differences the numerical'strength of Nato over Spain's political and forces well below, that of the military role. ¿1"^';"T>*. Warsaw Pact countries. Spain's The left wants the country membership (the Army num• to stay out of all alliances.',' bers about'220,000, the Navy In, his -list of reasons for' Nato 47,000 and the Air Force 34,000) membership, ..Señor Oreja .left would not; greatly '•< alter those no doubt about the Govern• ratios. - But in .strategic terms,, ment's .position. He' declared with its commanding position in that Spain already had " cóii: the Mediterranean,. Spaih?s con• tractual obligationsTRANSICIÓN" in the tribution to the: Atlantic alli• defence 'of the West (through ance would be far more impor• ths American-Spanish joint de• tant. : yJhXA • ..',' . y- fence' committee tp which the A far more serious problem commander of the American' is Gibraltar, for as one well forces in Europe acts as.a mili• placed source' put it: " Spain tary adviser). "' . -/."ly,""', could hardly form part of an The American bases agree• alliance a member of which ment was renewed in January, owned a piece of Spanish terri• 1976, authorizing the United States to continue to use mili• tory". tary bases in Spain until 1981. The Gibraltar problem, a good Thg agreements with América emotional rallying, point for any have formed the pillars of government, would have to be Spain's defence policy since solved beforehand iin - some 1953. ." '-...-: form. , ••' -•-;..».'.!•--':.'•--•' Fundación Carrillo check-up exposes split in communist ranks From Our Corresponden: communist parties in prepara• Madrid, April 9 tion for the National Congress The Catalan communist later this month when the party (PSUC) was in crisis Leninist j^oncept will be today after the party's presi• debated. -Thef visits have dent, secretary general and exposed wi^e differences of leading _n^mhet-p QP/UU£m. > resigned yesterday ovew ^ri«ys5 (the Uii .ited Socia- differences about whether to Hsf'Party XjfC^talonia) which abandon its Leninist concept. did well ini " last June's general The resignations came at a elections and picked up more meeting in Barcelona after the seats in - Barcelona than the party rejected a proposal by national party did in Madrid, S'ehor Santiago Carrillo, the is divided into Eurocom- (national) head of the Spanish munists and Leninists and Smuggling Communist Party, to change there is a feeling that Madrid from a " Marxist-Leninist is exercising far too much con• party" to a "revolutionary trol over its sister party. The is denied by Marxist party". The three PSUC claims, to ' be auton• Catalan leaders felt obliged/to omous. daughter resign as they are Carrillo fol• At its own congress last year lowers. I it voted to maintain the Marx- Senor Carrillo and other ist-leninist line and members leaders o£ the national party- feel that the petition to change ofF^icó have been visiting the regional is too sudden. Frontfcgarry Debelius ...... ' ,*. ^%i<l, April 12 EspañolaGeneral Franco's .only child denied here today that she had any intention of smuggling when airport customs agents confiscated a bag containing 19 diamond-studded gold medals as she boarded an air liner irons Madri to Geneva last week.