The Times. December 1975
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o p o o c o o o onn.pnnn^oj^..oj^í^.¿ú^ •. '. ... , Si Spanish King considers Three Spanish officers his first choice v w freed, nine still held 1 F r o m H a r r y Debelius communists, who were released for Cortes presidency j M a d r i d , Dec 4 _ ,., f r o m Cairalbanchel p r i s o n i n M a d r i d this week. T h e y were M i l i t a r y ainjjtftiS&Tiave dis- F r o m H a r r y Debelius . « * ( Y 7 S C i f r a said that i n Burgos an arrested last m o n t h and freed •i missed charges against three M a d r i d , Dec 2 " ~ j » • " * ' alleged member of the Basque after a group of well-known separatist organization ( E T A ) j army officers of sedition, but K i n g J u a n Carlos was today lawyers wrote to the Govern- considering the appointment of was released ; but in general the j are to proceed, w i t h the t r i a l ment. - S e ñ o r Torcuato Fernandez- only p o l i t i c a l prisoners to be •j of nine others, it was learnt i n T h e i r release m a y be the M i r a n d o as president of the freed so far out of an estimated I M a d r i d today. result of the K i n g ' s p a r d o n total of 2,000 are well-known Cortes. N o official announce- •A T h e three officers, a r t i l l e r y w h i c h i n m a n y cases obliges people, c o n f i r m i n g the opposi- ment had been made by late : M a j o r E n r i q u e L o p e z A m o r , the prosecution to dismiss tion's assertions that the Gov- afternoon. T h e C o u n c i l of the and infantry captains J u a n charges i f not more than three- ernment intends to use the R e a l m , Spain's supreme ad- iDiego Garcia and A r t u r o Gur- year sentences are expected. visory body, met for a record pardon for political reasons and jriaran, were arrested i n Barce- keep the great majority behind T h e w i f e of a p o l i t i c a l six and a half hours yesterday • ; lona i n October. to prepare a list of three candi- bars. However, unofficial prisoner, Senor L u i s L u o i o dates for the job, for the K i n g ' s reports indicate that a new T h e other nine were arrested Lobato, who is serving a 21- choice of one. government m i g h t declare an j i n J u l y . M i l i t a r y authorities year sentence for i l l e g a l asso- mmm i jhave been careful to p l a y ciation, appeaJed todfey i n a T h e post of president of the amnesty. down the affair, saying that it letter circulated to Spanish Cortes, and automatically that T h e public order court, w h i c h ' lis not serious. Nevertheless, journalists for the families of of the C o u n c i l of the R e a l m and hears o n l y p o l i t i c a l cases, has jthe t r i a l , i f it is public, is p o l i t i c a l prisoners to set up a Regency, became vacant last dropped charges against Senora i • expected to be sensational. It ; pro-amnesty committee. week when S e ñ o r Rodriguez de L y d i a F a l c o n , a writer and : -is believed that the nine V a l c a r c e l ended his six-year lawyer, under the pardon. She, ^officers (a major a n d eight The M a d r i d Stock Exchange term o f office. S e ñ o r Fernandez- her husband, Senor Eliseo Bayo, . icaptains) belong to the clan- d i p p e d today, probably as a M i r a n d a , who is 60, was for- also an author, and two others f . (destine Democratic M i l i t a r y reflection of widespread spec- m e r l y D e p u t y P r e m i e r and were due to be t r i e d for i l l e g a l U n i o n . u l a t i o n that the K i n g w i l l M i n i s t e r of the National Move- propaganda. T h e prosecution retain Senor Carlos A r i a s ment, Spain's o n l y legal politi- yesterday asked for three years' j Charges have also been dis- N a v a r r o as P r i m e M i n i s t e r , at cal organization, under A d m i r a l imprisonment for each of the . m i s s e d against eight alleged least for the time being. L u i s Carrero B l a n c o , General defendants, w h i c h qualifies Franco's first P r i m e M i n i s t e r . them for automatic release H e took over b r i e f l y w h e n under the pardon. A d m i r a l Carrero was assassin- ated i n December, 1973, u n t i l A n o t h e r well-known prisoner, the appointment of S e ñ o r Carlos though not for his political A r i a s Navarro. activities, has been released. • . Senor J u a n V i l a Reyes was S e ñ o r Fernandez-Miranda, j a i l e d for a total of 223 years once the K i n g ' s tutor, is a con- Senor Arias stays in in M a y for fraud and falsifica- servative member of the Cortes tion of documents. but is not as far to the right as S e ñ o r Rodriguez de V a l c a r c e l , H e was i n v o l v e d i n the office with powers € whom many considered to be M a t e s a affair, Spain's biggest the front man for the financial scandal, i n v o l v i n g the Española " bunker ", the entrenching of fraudulent use of Government the right after Franco. export credits totalling about to carry out reforms The K i n g also is expected to £ 6 0 m . The case, w h i c h came to choose a new p r i m e minister. light six years ago, l e d to a F r o m O u r C o r r e s p o n d e B K - { i \ w i l l issue a decree confirming S e ñ o r A r i a s tendered his resig- Government crisis and the dis- M a d r i d , D e c . 5 c Q t £ » * t « the p l a n on the recommenda- nation over the weekend, missal of the ministers of fin- K i n g J u a n Carlos confirmed tion of the Cabinet and i t w i l l according to reliable reports, ance and commerce, and the Seqor Carlos A r i a s Navarro as not be presented to the Cortes and a new appointment is l i k e l y governor of the B a n k of S p a i n . P r i m e M i n i s t e r today and gave for approval. before the end of the week. In Badajoz, Senor Bias P i n a r , h i m . unprecedented powers to Spanish bishops have called The C o u n c i l of the R e a l m w i l l an extreme right-wing notary carfy out reforms of the admin- for " the widest possible inter- submit to the K i n g a list of and a member of the Cortes by istrative structure. pretation " of the K i n g ' s three candidates. Informed direct appointment of G e n e r a l Senor A r i a s offered his resig- general pardon. T h e standing sources say that w i t h a regime F r a n c o , told a c r o w d of sup- nation a week ago so that the committee of the Spanish man as president of the Cortes, porters : " A l t h o u g h Franco is K i n g c o u l d have a free hand E p i s c o p a l C o u n c i l said i n a statement today that this was the new premier w i l l almost dead, F r a n c o i s m has not d i e d .