SPAIN: GOVERNMENT DENIES RUMORED ETA TALKS

UNCLAS MADRID 001241 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER SP SUBJECT: SPAIN: GOVERNMENT DENIES RUMORED ETA TALKS ¶1. (U) On June 19 conservative Spanish media outlets ABC and El Mundo claimed that Deputy Foreign Minister Bernardino Leon participated in negotiations with the Basque terrorist group ETA after the group ended its "permanent" cease-fire on June ¶6. The news reports sparked strong condemnations from the opposition Popular Party and others who questioned whether the government had broken its promise to end all negotiations with ETA. ¶2. (U) Leon rejected the allegations on June 20. Spanish daily El Pais (close to the Zapatero government) reported that "Leon has sharply denied that he participated in meetings with leaders of ETA on behalf of the government and he has said that the information published by El Mundo and ABC was false." According to government sources, neither Leon nor any member of the administration participated in the alleged meetings. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: We do not have independent confirmation of either of these reports. We were not aware of any Foreign Ministry involvement in dealing with ETA, which is seen here as a domestic issue, and most contact with governments such as France on the subject have been through police channels. Spanish President Zapatero now needs to appear as tough as possible in dealing with ETA after the cease-fire rupture and in the face of intense scrutiny and criticism by the opposition. He is also on the record with strong comments forswearing future negotiations with the terrorist group. Leon is a fairly prominent figure in Spanish political circles and has not previously, to our knowledge, been involved in ETA policy-making. If the GOS were to re-engage in negotiations with ETA, it likely would choose a less visible official with previous experience on ETA. AGUIRRE