European Parliament
Proinsias De Rossa (PSE ). –
Mr President, I also come from an island which had suffered almost 30 years of terrorism. We have had a peace process in place for ten years or more. I very much welcome the announcement today by the ETA organisation. My criticism of it would be same criticism I have applied to the IRA in Ireland for very many years: that it was engaged in a useless, pointless, undemocratic way of seeking to pursue its objectives.
However, at the end of the day, as politicians, we have to find a way of achieving a democratic political solution to the problem. It seems to me that the Spanish Government is to be congratulated in bringing about a situation in which a ceasefire has been announced. It is a matter for all democrats – both in Spain and in Europe – to back the Spanish Government in taking the process forward, because if we allow organisations like ETA or the IRA to see a gap between democrats as to how peace can be built, then we will fail and they will win.

