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
6 - 9 January, 1997

• ARMY COLONEL KILLED BY ETA
• CUBA AND THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION
• PERU AND REBELS: TALKS TO START
• GONZALEZ AND 1997 OPPOSITION
• AZNAR RESPONSE TO SOCIALIST ATTACK
• PUJOL AND SPAIN’S FUTURE
• JORGE SEMPRUN AWARDED PRIZE
• INDURAIN TO RETIRE
• NEW IDEAS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
• BILLIONS REPORTED IN FOOTBALL BIDS

ARMY COLONEL KILLED BY ETA

ETA, the Basque terrorist group, has started its murderous activities this year by gunning down an Army officer in the centre of Madrid, and setting off a car bomb yesterday(Wednesday). Lt. Col. Jesus Cuesta Abril, 49, was shot dead as he got out of his car in front of his residence. The attack had the typical characteristics of the attacks perpetrated by the group since 1968, when they started their fight for independence of northern Spain's Basque Country. According to witnesses, a man and a woman fired three shots into the back of their victim's head before fleeing. They also fired at the driver of his car, who suffered no injuries. Half an hour later, a car bomb exploded about 500 yards from the spot where the Officer was murdered, causing a woman to become hysterical and some minor cuts to another young woman passer-by. The victim died after arriving at the Gregorio Maranon Hospital. He was married with two children, and was part of the Logistics Group Number 11 from Madrid. According to the Police, the bomb was probably meant to cover the escape of the killers by sowing confusion in the area. The car, a white Opel Kadett, was similar to a vehicle reported missing about a month ago and exploded near a Madrid shopping centre. It’s believed to be the car used by the attackers responsible for the shooting. The two killers walked off the scene while astonished passers-by and neighbours came to help the wounded Officer. The woman was the one who shot the gun, hitting Cuesta Abril in his head and his neck. It was the first ETA killing in Madrid since Jose Maria Aznar was elected prime minister in March 1996. Last July, however, a businessman who refused to pay ETA's extortion, was shot dead in the Basque Country. To put pressure on the government, the terrorist group is holding a prison official and the son of a wealthy businessman, who were kidnapped almost a year ago. Hours before the attack, Jaime Mayor Oreja, the Interior Minister, had confirmed that security forces were on alert as they had been informed ETA was ready to attack. However, the government speculated that Madrid was not necessary the place to do it. He qualified an earlier incident on Tuesday, in which five grenades were launched in Madrid’s Barajas International Airport, as "a lot of noise rather than a frustrated attack". The grenades failed to reach the landing run at the Airport. He also proved prophet stating that in his experience, whenever the police had any success against the group, "ETA will strike back". The Home Office has also set up a "Security Operation" in the Capital of Spain, in response to the attack. This allows police to locate control units in the main access highways, in and out of Madrid, in order to detect terrorist cars and weapons. Also, there is overhead surveillance taking place by means of helicopters since the attack was perpetrated.

CUBA AND THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION

The government insists on the fact that their policy towards Cuba is identical to the EU’s policy on the subject. The number of Cuban citizens applying for political asylum in Spain is increasing fast enough to prove the brutality of Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in the island, and this figure is in addition to the number of Cubans requesting asylum in the US, where the largest concentration of Cuban émigrés reside in the city of Miami, just a few miles from the Island. Thanks to Castro, Cuba is the country with the largest percentage of émigrés in the world. At the same time, the European Commission welcomed news that the United States will suspend once more the application of the Helms-Burton Act, a law allowing Americans to sue foreigners with investments in Cuba. Jacques Santer stated that the EU will be satisfied only when Washington totally scraps the Helms-Burton Act. This Act was passed in early 1996 causing wide indignation from EU members and other nations, as Canada, which is opposed to what they consider as "extra-territorial nature legislation". The Act allows Americans to sue in the US courts individuals in other countries who have invested in property confiscated by the Cuban government since the revolution of 1959. Last Friday, the US President announced he will suspend it for six more months after being assured by the EU and other countries that they were working to bring democracy to Cuba. The EU had passed a law in October making it illegal for European companies to comply with the US act. The Helms-Burton Act has also barred some European executives from Sheritt International, the Canadian mining company, and Sol Melia, the Spanish hotels and tourism empire, from travelling to the US, when their visas were denied by the Department of State.

PERU AND REBELS: TALKS TO START

The Peruvian government qualified as "terrorist blackmail" the holding of 74 hostages at the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Lima, but said it would continue contact with the rebels in an effort to end the 3-week-old stand-off without bloodshed. Alberto Fujimori, the Peruvian president, told reporters that the government maintained its position of not giving in to blackmail from the terrorists, but also added that he hoped for a peaceful solution to the crisis and the conclusion of the crisis without any act of blood, which will guarantee the "physical well-being" of the hostages, some of whom the from Spain. Alberto Pandolfi, the Prime Minister of the country, said later that the government will continue unofficial dealings with the rebels of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), who seized the residence of the Japanese ambassador on December 17 during a diplomatic reception. He stated that they have agreed to continue, in a timely way, the intended plan towards a global and peaceful solution to the problem. The plan according to him is "exhausting all possible means for achieving a peaceful solution that will guarantee the physical integrity of the hostages kidnapped in the residence of the Japanese ambassador". Fujimori who restarted his regular visits to shantytowns which have been halted when the crisis began, said his visit was intended "to show the world that life is still normal in Peru and we are not living a situation of terrorism".

GONZALEZ AND 1997 OPPOSITION

Felipe Gonzalez has instructed the leaders of PSOE to toughen their opposition against the present administration during this year, in order to prevent Jose Maria Aznar’s consolidation as President of the Government, which could lead to a second term at the end of this century. After 8 months of administration by the Popular Party, the political followers of Gonzalez are trying to spread the rumour that the Socialist Party will take over after the next general elections. Gonzalez is sending a message to the financial and economic powers in the country which states that PSOE may return in the near future, so they should not bid everything they have on the PP.

AZNAR RESPONSE TO SOCIALIST ATTACK

Consolidation of democracy, employment stability, fulfilling Maastricht criterion and higher standards of quality for Health and Education programs are the four goals the present administration will focus on during the next political year. They are also the pillars of the government’s response to the oppositions recent attacks. The president of the Government, Jose Maria Aznar, held yesterday a meeting with his closest collaborators, which was very optimistic according to witness, a meeting where polls were not mentioned at all. He stated that "all indicators are optimistic", and "that fact will be the only answer to the Socialist attack in matters of the autonomies, health and education".

PUJOL AND SPAIN’S FUTURE

"With no detriment of Catalonian nationalism, I bet on being the Spanish political leader who feels most optimistic about the future of Spain". Those were the words of Jordi Pujol, president of the Generalitat of Catalunya, before the start of his visit to France. He also stated that Spain will be amongst the first European countries to access the European Currency in January 1999, and affirmed that Catalunya practices a very tolerant nationalism.

JORGE SEMPRUN AWARDED PRIZE

Jorge Semprun, was awarded the prestigious literary Jerusalem Prize. The announcement was made by Ehud Olmer, Mayor of the City of Jerusalem, where the literary award will be presented to the Spanish writer. The prize, which is the most prestigious in Israel, consists of 5,000 dollars (about 725.000 PTAs.), and is awarded to the authors whose work "expresses the ideal of individual freedom in society". The juror stressed the importance of Semprun’s literary work and his brave defence of freedom.

INDURAIN TO RETIRE

Miguel Indurain, the five-time Tour de France winner announced his retirement from professional cycling Thursday. He made the announcement to a group of journalists at a news conference held in Pamplona, his home town. The cycling superstar has been debating for some time whether to continue or to quit professional competition, after failing to win a sixth consecutive Tour last year and pulling out of the Vuelta de Espana. He was a member of the Banesto team, but his contract expired at the end of 1996. He announced his desire to enjoy cycling as an amateur, a decision that has been a disappointment to his fans. He explained that the decision had been very tough to make. He won the time trial Gold Medal at the Olympics in Atlanta last year.

NEW IDEAS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Barcelona will recover its "Tramvia", the public transportation system which was shut down in March 1971. The Tramvia Blau and some track in the streets of Barcelona are the only memories that the city has kept of this transportation system. This year, which marks the 125th Anniversary of the service start-up, this popular way of transportation will go back into service. Seven hundred yards of tracks will be laid down on the Diagonal Avenue, between Entenca street and Maria Cristina Square. The Tramvia, now called "light metro", will run as a test for the future line of services between Barcelona and the Llobregat. If the city is willing to recover this transportation system, the line could be extended to the whole extension of the Diagonal Avenue and even reach the Montjuich. It could also be the connection way from Zona Franca and Plaza de Catalunya. The works to install the Tramvia will force the city authorities to close one line of the road in Diagonal. The electrical set-up is not difficult, as the cabling will be supported by the lighting poles. The schedule will help the movement of University students and public in the commercial area situated between Numancia and Maria Cristina, but will not become a "mass transport" system immediately. During the summer, they will not use the modern trains, but the old open "jardineras" of the Tramvia Blau.

BILLIONS REPORTED IN FOOTBALL BIDS

Manchester United and Arsenal are ready to bid for Davor Suker and Predrag Mijatovic from the football team Real Madrid, with an amount that could reach five billion pesetas. Both English teams are interested in buying the players, from Croatia and Montenegro respectively, and they seem to have the money to do it. Meanwhile, Real’s arch-rival Barcelona has denied the rumours that Miguel Angel Nadal, the defender who has already been approached by Manchester United, will be transferred to England’s Middlesborough. He seems to be quite happy about playing for Barcelona. As the Spanish market for transfers closes on January 15, another rumour has increased speculation that Bebeto, the World Cup striker from Brazil, will leave Sevilla for his old club, the Deportivo Coruna. He pulled up in training on Tuesday, and missed Wednesday's Cup game against Deportivo. If he had played the match, he would have become ineligible to play for another Spanish team this season. He has been criticised by the Spanish press on this action, which they qualified as "cynical". Bebeto denied being unhappy in Sevilla, all he mentioned was that he was worried about his future because he has three children and the city is quite expensive to live in.