The Senate of the Nation was the site yesterday afternoon in Argentina for the “Chapter Argentina Conference for Peace in the Basque Country.” With a turnout that filled the room to its capacity, the event was led by Alberto Spektorowski, member of the International Contact Group (GIC), Paul Rios coordinator of Lokarri, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nora Cortiñas president of the Mothers of the May Plaza founding line, the latter two responsible for the reading of the manifesto of support.
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Organized by the Service for Peace and Justice (Argentina), Lokarri (Basque Country), Searpaz (Mexico), the Foundation for Alternative Democracy and Debate (Mexico), the Federation of Basque-Argentine Entities – FEVA (Argentina) and the International Group of Contact (Basque Country), the Argentine Meeting for Peace in the Basque Country took place yesterday at the Senate of the Nation.
The Conference put together more than 300 supports of Argentine institutions and renowned personalities from the worlds of Politics and culture, as well as representatives of the Basque Diaspora in the country. Among the signers were the former presidents of the Nation Eduardo Duhalde and Carlos Menem, Senator Pino Solanas, Deputy Victoria Donda – present at the conference – legislators at both the national and provincial levels, the president of Grandmothers of the May Plaza, Estela B. de Carlotto and well-known figures form the Basque-Argentine Diaspora (complete list of signers here).
The event began with an Aurresku by dantzari Renzo Bustos and txistulari Jose Maria Gutierrez, from the Argentine Basque community. Next there was an address by the International Group of Contact, Alberto Spektorowski who carried out a review of the evolution of the Peace Process in the Basque Country since the signing of the Declaration of Aiete (2011) until present. Next was Paul Rios, coordinator of Lokarri who addressed those present stressing how important it is for the Basque people to construct their Peace Process “facing the refusal of the Spanish Government to participate”, and insisted that the political parties in the country to sit down and build, among themselves, a basic consensus on how they should live together and build a future together.
Adolfo Perez Esquivel and Nora Cortiñas read the manifesto of support in favor of the Peace Process in the Basque Country (read it here). Prior to the reading, Nobel Peace Prize Perez Esquivel mentioned the situation of the Basque prisoners and reminded the audience of Arnaldo Otegi --he said Otegi is in prison for his political ideas and for his contribution to the end of ETA.
More than 150 people followed the event. It concluded with the Euskaltzaleak Basque choir of Buenos Aires singing Gernikako Arbola and Agur Jaunak.
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