Union boss ‘linked to ETA’ to attend peace debate

23 October 2006

MADRID — A union official allegedly involved in funding ETA has been granted permission by a judge to attend a European parliament debate on the Basque peace process.

Judge Santiago Pedraz granted permission to Rafael Diez Usabiaga, general secretary of the LAB union, to attend the debate in Strasbourg between Tuesday and Thursday.

Usabiaga was among a number of people accused earlier this year of being involved in financing ETA through a network linked to the terrorist organisation’s banned political wing, Batasuna.

He is under conditional bail and must report to court regularly.

Usabiaga had applied to be able to attend the meeting.

Last week, the government said no members of Batasuna would be able to attend the debate unless the group denounced violence.

Batasuna was banned by the Spanish supreme court in 2003 for failing to condemn ETA’s terrorist attacks.

It is classed as a terrorist organisation by the EU.

In May, another high court judge banned the Batasuna leaders Arnaldo Otegi and Pernando Barrena from travelling to Dublín and Belfast to attend Sinn meetings.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news