THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014 INTERNATIONAL ETA prisoners’ shift raises disarmament hopes MADRID: Jailed Basque separatists authorities since they rejected the political groups that have gained influ- ‘TURNING POINT’ curbed their right to early release. have raised hopes that they may be terms of their imprisonment. In its new ence in the Basque Country since 2011 The pro-independence party Sortu, Supporters of the prisoners plan to moving towards disarming ETA, west- statement, the EPPK said however: “We when they formally renounced vio- formed by former members of the out- hold a rally for them in the Basque city ern Europe’s last major armed seces- could accept that our return home-our lence. lawed party Batasuna, hailed the state- of Bilbao on January 11. That annual sionist group, by softening their stance release from jail and as a priority our The conservative president of the ment as “a top-level contribution to the gathering will be particularly sensitive on key demands. The prisoners gave transfer to the Basque Country-be region, Inigo Urkullu, meanwhile noted process of resolving the Basque politi- this year in light of the October ruling, ground on one of the most sensitive done through legal channels even if “significant changes” in the prisoners’ cal conflict”, said its spokesman which outraged victims’ families. aspects of the stand-off between ETA this, for us, implicitly entails the accept- stance. He called for the “urgent” dis- Pernando Barrena. He called it “a turn- Online newspaper El Confidencial, and the Spanish and French authori- ance of our sentence.” arming of ETA. ETA announced in ing point for a change in the peniten- citing anti-terrorism sources, said ETA ties-the terms of their jailing and The statement, published in the October 2011 “the definitive end to its tiary policy and an end to dispersal” of might move before January 11 “to lay potential release. In a statement on Basque newspaper Gara, said EPPK armed activity”, but refused to formally ETA prisoners in distant jails. down some of its arms and explosives” December 28, EPPK, a collective repre- would be willing to “study the possibili- A committee supporting the prison- by revealing the locations of caches in disband or disarm as the Spanish and senting hundreds of jailed ETA mem- ty of a process where our return home ers, Etxerat, says there are 520 prison- France while demanding negotiations French governments demand. The bers, dropped its long-standing takes place in stages, through individ- ers who remain affiliated to ETA, most in return. Paul Rios, a spokesman for demand for a general amnesty. ual commitments”. ETA is blamed for group has been severely weakened in of them spread across 79 jails in Spain Lokarri, an association of Basque The collective, representing prison- the deaths of 829 people in a four- recent years by the arrests of its senior and France. Experts estimate there are nationalists calling for a “peace ers who constitute most of ETA’s active decade campaign of shootings and leaders in Spain and France. The two only a few dozen active members still process” for the Basque Country, surviving membership, said it would bombings for an independent Basque countries’ governments have ignored at large. Around 60 others have been doubted that such a major gesture was consider letting them negotiate indi- homeland in northern Spain and ETA’s request to negotiate its disband- freed from jail since October, when the imminent. “I do not think the time is vidually for release. Previously, they southwestern France. The prisoners’ ment on conditions such as transfer- European Court of Human Rights over- ripe enough for ETA to take a decisive had refused to play ball with the prison message was hailed by the left-wing ring prisoners to jails closer to home. turned a Spanish judicial doctrine that step towards disarming,” he said.—AFP Pope urges the world to listen to ‘cry for peace’ What is happening to humanity? Pontiff asked VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis made an impas- sioned New Year’s peace address yesterday, say- ing the heart of humanity seemed to have gone astray and too many people were still indifferent to war, violence and injustice. The pontiff, who took his papal name from St Francis of Assisi, the saint most associated with peace, urged the world to listen to the “cry for peace” from suffer- ing peoples. “What on earth is happening in the hearts of men? What on earth is happening in SCHEVENINGEN: Two men take part in the traditional sea bathing to mark the start the heart of humanity?” he said to tens of thou- of the new year yesterday in Scheveningen. — AFP sands of people in St Peter’s Square on the day the Roman Catholic Church celebrates its World Day of Peace. Thousands take icy New “It’s time to stop!” he said, departing from his prepared text. Francis was speaking from the Year’s dip in Netherlands window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square that popes traditionally use for THE HAGUE: Tens of thousands of revelers She added conditions were “relatively their addresses. Unlike his predecessors, Francis across the Netherlands braved the chilly warm” this year with the ocean around 7.5 has not used the spacious apartment behind the winter weather yesterday to take a tradi- degrees Celsius (45.5 degrees Fahrenheit) window since his election in March, shunning tional New Year’s plunge in the North Sea’s and outside temperature at around 8.0 pomp and preferring instead to live in small icy waters. Around 10,000 swimmers-most degrees. However, the omnipresent wind quarters in a Vatican guest house. “Everyone dressed only in shorts and bikinis-stormed on the beach chilled things down to must be committed to building a society that is the waves at The Hague’s historic around 3.0 degrees, she added. truly just and caring,” he told the crowd on Scheveningen beach, while around 36,000 “You have to do it at least once in your Wednesday, acknowledging the many peace banners and blue balloons held aloft. others did the same in 125 locations life,” said Dennis Smit, 20, who was “sun- VATICAN CITY: People wave to Pope Francis at St Peter’s square during the Angelus prayer yes- In a message for the World Day of Peace sent around the country, organizers said. The so- bathing” with his girlfriend Nicole terday at the Vatican. — AFP called “Nieuwjaarsduik” (New Year’s Dive) Timmerman, 17, after returning from the to world leaders last month, Francis said that started in 1960 when a few friends decided water’s edge. Brothers Beau and Jarvey de huge salaries and bonuses were symptoms of an The new year is expected to bring concrete on how to deal with the Church’s many sexual to go for a swim to herald in a fresh start to Graaff, who was dressed in a tiger outfit said economy based on greed and inequality. In that changes to the Vatican, plagued by a series of abuse scandals. Vatican officials expect the New Year, the organizer spokeswoman it was the first time they were taking part in letter, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio mishaps and scandals under Pope Benedict XVI, changes to start taking shape in late February, Esther Okker said. the swim. “Yes, we may be crazy, but we are of Argentina again urged nations to narrow the who in February became the first pontiff to when his council of advisors has a pivotal meet- Since then it has grown into an annual Dutch and this is tradition,” Jarvey de Graaff, gap between rich and poor, more and more of resign in 600 years. Francis has appointed a com- ing in the Vatican. On Feb 22, Francis will name tradition, with swimmers receiving a covet- 22, said. “It may be tradition, but it still was whom were getting only “crumbs”. Francis, mittee of eight cardinals from around the world his first batch of cardinals to join the exclusive ed orange beanie hat and a tin of Dutch very, very, very cold,” a shivering bikini-clad named Person of the Year by Time magazine and to advise him on how to reform the central group that will one day choose his successor. pea soup as a reward from the event’s swimmer who declined to give her name, a number of other publications, has urged his Vatican administration. He has also named The names of the new cardinals are expected to sponsors. In total some 12,000 liters of pea quipped afterwards before running into a own Church to set an example by being more commissions to advise him on what to do with be disclosed sometime in late January, and will soup had been handed out, Okker said. heated tent to get dressed.—AFP fair and frugal and less pompous, and to get the scandal-plagued Vatican bank, on trans- offer another indication of the type of humbler closer to the poor and afflicted. parency in other parts of Vatican finance and Church that Francis wants.—Reuters Russian leader denounces Volgograd ‘abomination’ MOSCOW: President Vladimir tinue to fight against terrorists Volgograd. But the same city-rest- top security officials both in Putin yesterday called Russia’s until their total destruction”. ing just 690 kilometers northeast Volgograd and Moscow for failing deadliest bombings in three years Investigators have opened a crimi- of Sochi-was also hit by a suicide to prevent more carnage less an “abomination” as he inspected nal probe into a suspected act of blast on a bus in October that than six weeks before the Games’ the site of twin suicide strikes terror as well as the illegal carrying killed six people and first alerted February 7 start.