Spanish secret service continues to hounds legally resident Basque

www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Basque ex-pat Jose Arturo Cubillas 937) says he is in danger of being spirited out of the country by Spanish secret service agents, even though he has been legally in Venezuela since the Venezuelan and Spanish governments signed an agreement as far back as 1989 to accept ETA separatist movement militants as residents .

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has sent secret service agents to Venezuela to monitor and harass Cubillas, who confronted one alleged agent that had been tailing him for days.

• The Ombudsman’s Office attempted to get the man’s name but he ran off.

The Spanish Embassy has refused to comment on the matter and Interpol director Israel Galindo is permanently at a meeting. The Venezuelan government’s record on defending ETA militants legally in Venezuela has been cracking after several former militants were extradited in record time.

Basque exiles in Venezuela complain that the State Political & Security (DISIP) Police is actively collaborating with the Spanish in tailing and making life difficult for Basque militants and their families. PROVEA human rights group is taking up Cubillas' case.