Spanish General under House Arrest

international | eu | other press Sunday January 08, 2006 13:54 by tittle tattle - "keep an (((eye))) on them all the time"

Less than 24 hours after making a key note speech to a meeting of Spain's armed forces, Lt. General Jose Mena Aguado has been placed under house arrest for 8 days as a "first measure" for suggesting armed action against Catalonia. He thus overstepped his position as a member of the military, and now enjoying support from the right wing opposition (PP) the incident takes on worrying implications for European Democracy.
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The Armed Forces chief is being held under article 7 of the Armed Forces disciplinary law, which states that the military are, ‘Duty bound to be neutral to political points of view.’

He had made a speech in Seville during the military’s Christmas celebrations, in which he said
‘Serious consequences both to the Armed Forces as an institution, and to the people who serve in the Forces, of the approval of the proposed terminology of the Catalan statutes,’ going on to say :
‘Article 8 of the Constitution could be applied by the Armed Forces, that is the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of Spain, to defend her integrity and to defend the Constitution.’

Remarking on the Catalan language the Lt Gen. said :-

"‘The fact that knowledge of an autonomous community’s own language be obligatory in that community is verging on the insolent, and it would force the Armed Forces to control assignments to that autonomous community, just as we currently do for assignments abroad.’

Article 8 of the Spanish constitution as adopted on the transition to democracy gives the military the role of guaranteeing the "sovreignity and territorial integrity" of Spain. However, the military are also subject to checks and controls as would be expected under a constitution written to replace a military dictatorship.

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_1810.shtml

"serious consequences for the armed forces, as an institution, and its members if the Catalan charter is approved in its current terms."

Although Mena did not specify how he thought the armed forces should intervene, the comments have undoubtedly brought back memories of military putsch attempts and coups in Spain's past.

Mena's made the remarks as a response to negotiations for a new charter for the region of Catalonia which have dominated political debate in Spain.

The Catalan regional government - based in Barcelona - is demanding far-reaching political and fiscal powers and also to be recognised as a nation and to copperfasten its linguistic revival.

The Basque region (another of the 17 regions of Spain) is also seeking to revamp its charter.

All political parties have dismissed the general as being out of touch with reality.

...But he is many thousands of men and women with very modern guns under command.

"Spain's military establishment still hasn't undergone the democratic recycling that is imperative,'' said Josu Erkoreka, spokesman for the moderate BNV (Basque National) Party in the regional Basque parliament.

The Spanish newspaper of record El Pais pointed out that Mena'a remarks belie an ignorance of the constitution which states that government and parliament - _not the armed forces_ determine if the country is in any danger.

[..."Only the conservative rightist Popular Party, the most vociferous opponent of the Catalan charter, pulled back from condemning the officer, saying his comments were the logical result of the uncertainty triggered by the charter debate...."]

Jose Mena Aguado is 63 years old and was due to retire in March after more tha 40 years' armed service. But it seems likely now that he will in these "8 days house arrest" be relieved of his duty if not rank, for what to some in Spain, and beyond constitutes one the most worrying and frightening reminders of military power in a peaceful democratic state.

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=14234