Welcome to the tuSPAIN weekly review of the Spanish media. Cristina Marquez Arroyo de Camihort has selected a wide range of articles covering general news about Spain, politics, business and culture. We also invite you to view the latest news from Spain (in Spanish) at the web sites of El Pais, El Mundo, ABC and El Periodico

NEWS REVIEW
25 - 30 November, 1996

• Digital TV group created.
• "Political" strike...
• Signs of recovery...
• Designer drugs lab seized in Valencia
• Aznar, PSOE and Spain...
• ETA and France
• France promises more collaboration
• Spanish Institute and the Internet
• Spanish in Catalunya...

Digital TV group created.

Representatives from nine of the most important Spanish Communications Corporations agreed on the creation of the first Digital TV Spanish platform. The alliance, led by Telefonica, was executed in Madrid, and is formed by TVE, Antena 3, Televisa and four regional channels. The shareholders approved unanimously the incorporation of EL MUNDO’s Publisher Unit, with a 1% share participation.

The Company that will commercialise the new digital television channels will be established before December 16. Telefonica has announced that 40 channels will be offered in the Spring, a figure that will be increased to 60 in the near future. The basic package will cost about 2,500 pts monthly, with installation and rental of the satellite dish and receiver included in this price. The new Corporation will start broadcasting 14 new test channels during the next few weeks.

With this agreement, four months of active negotiations amongst all communications groups in Spain come to an end. The announcement of the set up of different platforms for the operation of the new digital television in Germany, France and Italy initiated a war in Spain at the beginning of summer 1996. However, the decision made by the Prisa Group to operate independently, has prevented the creation of a unique Spanish platform.

"Political" strike...

The Government has called the strike announced by the Public Sector as a "political decision". At the request of Jose Maria Aznar, President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, Minister of Public Administration and Javier Arenas, Minister of Labour, undertook the task of exorcising the threat of a strike on December 11, to be enforced by Government Employees.

Both officials made it clear that the Government will not review their decision, and while Arenas expressed "to ignore the political purpose" of the strike, Rajoy indicated that "not a single Spaniard can believe that the only problem Government officials have at this moment is the freeze on wages".

Rajoy y Arenas were therefore confirming the rumour started last Monday by Aznar that Felipe Gonzales, General Secretary of the PSOE, is exploiting the conflict.

Signs of recovery...

All polling indicators for the third quarter of this year confirm a recovery of 2,4% on the national economy. The reduction of the corporation’s financial costs and the insignificant increase in the funds for provisions and depreciation has been the pivotal support for the private sector in order to increase their profits up to September. The report from the Central Office of Balances from the Bank of Spain corresponding to the third quarter outlines that the company’s results increased by 16% on the Gross Added Value (VAB), which is the equivalent to a 6,2% of actual growth.

The data presented yesterday by the General Manager of the Bank, Jose Luis Malo de Molina, confirm a certain recovery of the economy, with a growth rate of 2,4%. During the first and second quarters, a growth of 1,4% was entered in the accounts.

Malo de Molina insisted that the profit of a company cannot be sustained by lower financial costs and cuts in the amortisation’s. He warned that in order the reverse the situation, it is "imperative" to infuse a greater dynamism into entrepreneurial activities and to use greater moderation in dealing with labour expenses, based on the slowdown of inflation and the increase of investments and employment.

Designer drugs lab seized in Valencia

The Spanish Police have won an important battle in the war against drugs. The important event took place this past week in Valencia. Agents from the National Guard (Guardia Civil) dismantled the largest laboratory manufacturer of synthetic drugs in Europe, according to sources from the Police Department.

The operation, which was still in place at the closing of this edition, took place in Macastre, a small town in the outskirts of Valencia. During the raid, four people were arrested: three men and one woman.

The lab was installed in a villa with an area of 100 square meters. The four people arrested used the whole area of the house to manufacture the synthetic drugs. The infrastructure found by the Police to manufacture these substances is the largest to date in Europe. The Lab had capacity to make 2,000 pills of "ecstasy" or "speed" hourly, with a total daily production of approximately 50,000 pills, ready for sale and use on the streets.

Also this week, all the Ministers of Justice of the European Union agreed on increased co-operation to defeat narcotraffic and drug addiction in Europe.

Aznar, PSOE and Spain...

Jose Maria Aznar, President of the Government, openly accused the opposition especially the Socialist Party, of "having placed themselves in a position against Spain’s best interests" when dealing with Fidel Castro’s regime.

The President, who had not spoken on the subject of the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Cuba so far, decided yesterday to bridge his own code of maximum discretion, and attacked the critical attitude adopted by the leaders of the PSOE and United Left (IU) in statements against the Government’s policies.

Aznar insisted that his strategy towards the dictatorial regime in Havana is backed not only by Spain’s partners in the European Union and the United States, but also by the Iberoamerican Community as a whole, whose members expressed their firm commitment to democracy during the Declaration of Vina del Mar. "I will always defend democracy, wherever I go", was Aznar final statement.

ETA and France

The third ranking officer of ETA, the terrorist organisation, ordered Aguirre Lete to analyse the feasibility of a terrorist attack in Paris against French authorities. "The French people will have to suffer"; "Terrorist attacks in France are a necessity"; "We have always been here in France, and we are not Arabs or Muslims". These are some of the statements of a letter sent by the Headquarters of ETA to Juan Luis Aguirre Lete, chief of the illegal commands of the organisations. The letter has been released by the Police, and clearly shows the orders to study the feasibility of a terrorist attack in Paris, against a high political officer in France.

The letter mentions the names of the actual Minister of the Home Office, Jean Louis Debre; his predecessor in the position Charles Pasqua; the Judge in charge of the procedures against terrorism Laurence Le Vert and the Superintendent of the VI Division of the Judicial Police Department, Roger Marion. The document also contains the instructions for a precise, spectacular and selective attack, which would be in response to the actions taken by the French authorities against the Etarrean group during the last months. These actions have forced the leaders of the terrorist group to move to the north of France, a move which makes their course of actions much more difficult.

In the meantime, several vandalism acts took place during last week, with a result of three ATM and two telephone booths being set on fire in Guipuzcoa, as well as a bus in Pamplona.

France promises more collaboration

Jacques Toubon, the French Minister of Justice, reaffirmed yesterday in Brussels that his country is committed to continueing their collaboration with the Spanish authorities in their battle against the terrorist organisation ETA; he also described as "splendid" the existing co-operation between the Police forces of both countries.

The official stated that "ETA always attacks high profile personalities, and their will to destroy is increasing, so we must continue prosecuting their members". He also added that France is planning to increase the bilateral application of the new European Extradition Agreement to the beginning of 1997, without the approval by the Parliaments of both countries.

Meanwhile, Margarita Mariscal de Gante, the Spanish minister of Justice, stated that "there will be no problem whatsoever" for the release to Spain of the documentation taken from Juan Luis Aguirre Lete, one of the officers of the terrorist organisation.

Spanish Institute and the Internet

The second Meeting of the Royal Academies associated to the Spanish Institute, held in the headquarters of this Organisation, were highly successful according to participating members. One of the most relevant agreements reached at the Forum is the creation of a database which will allow all the Academic institutions, some of which are it their centennial year, to access their respective information through the Internet. The previous meeting held during 1993 did not have the wide-ranging scope on this aspect.

The main issue discussed at the meeting was the request for an integrating role and some kind of umbrella organisation to provide interconnection among them. In the same vein, an agreement has been reached to make their activities known to society in general, which means that they will have "more fluid relations with the media". Considering the rich information source of these institutions is outstanding and highly specialised, it has been decided the creation of a common database using the Internet, allowing all the bodies to communicate to each other and exchange data. The operation of this project will be launched during the second half of next year.

Spanish in Catalunya...

Jordi Pujol, the President of the Generalitat, affirmed yesterday that the presence of the Spanish language in Catalunya is the "result of old violence", but also stated that this fact does not invalidate the rights of the Spanish-speaking population in the Autonomic Region or the priority that co-existence should take in its society.

At the closing of the National Culture Awards, he also stated that the Catalonian nationality is based on their Language and their Culture, and "not on ethnic reasons, blood, or any other determinism which leads to violence". Pujol mentioned the co-existence of two languages in Catalunya, but "it has not always been the case, as they want us to believe now" and added that in the case of Spanish, its "presence is the result of very old violence which is affecting us even today". He reaffirmed that "the truth is that Catalonian is our language, a language that determines Catalunya’s own and unique personality, so it has to be the first and main language of the Country".

At the ceremony, broadcast live through TV3 and held at the National Palace of Montjuic, Mario Gas (writer) and Ramon Oller (choreographer) received two of the National Culture Awards. The prizes, awarded to individuals and organisations for their contribution to cultural activities during the previous calendar year, consist of 3 million pesetas in cash.