The day after the first investiture of Zapatero, President of Spain, we worked with the Minister of Culture of the Basque Country, Miren Azkarate.

Rodríguez Zapatero’s investiture sessions are taking place these days. Did something call your attention?

Oh, yeah, yeah. I heard Zapatero talk about Josu Erkoreka’s skepticism. Instead, I heard that he has enthusiasm and a commitment and longing for optimism and dialogue. I think it’s a good attitude, but words need action. If he is so eager to reach an agreement, he has the President's hand wide open.

Some saw Ibarretxe’s roadmap as vague, and others saw that the election results have cleared the way or put it into reality. What’s left of the path that the President announced?

The proposal is where it was before. I don't see the blur...

I would like to say that, rather than making the proposal vague, the road map could have found many obstacles.

I don't think anyone said it was easy. The first proposal was to make an agreement with Zapatero. And if it wasn't him, he'd go out with the president on March 9. We have Zapatero running again, so...

Agreement on what, in what time frame?

Things that have been on the table for the past few months. On the two proposals that we have on the table after the end of the ETA ceasefire and the failure of the process: peace and political agreement. If President Zapatero has met with ETA and the Union, as well as the Union, the PSE and the PNV, and above all to talk about the political agreement, what is the problem for the President of the Basque Country and the President of Spain to talk about peace and political agreement? You have to set a deadline. Don’t say “yes”, “but...” The deadline is until the end of June right now.

What does the Basque Government expect?

Josu Erkoreka exposed the skepticism, so it will have to be seen. If Zapatero is so eager to reach an agreement, let him show his commitment to the initiatives. But that’s really to be seen.

EA wants to combine the Ibarretxe roadmap with “modernity”. Wasn't it modern before?

It was and is completely modern. If there is a modern issue in Europe, which is current, it is the political subject of the peoples and the right to decide. Every time this spokesman opens his mouth, it is to say that we have something to learn about Ireland, Montenegro, Quebec and/or Kosovo. They told me about Christ and two for that. Of course Ireland has nothing to do with the Basque Country, which are different realities. Not to mention Kosovo, Quebec, Belgium, Scotland, as well as Tibet and China. But to say that Slovenia has cultivated the right to decide on the path to independence is not out of place.

EA wants to combine the proposal of Ibarretxe with modernity.

The members of this government have no reservations about the modernity of the proposal.

After the elections, the United Left is in crisis. Are you doubting the triad again?

This has come from the debate in the EU and I do not understand it. This spokesman says that the incidents that occur within the parties must be resolved by each one, that it is not the task of the Government, so neither is mine. I have not heard from the EU leaders that the triad is in doubt. There is a coalition agreement for the entire legislature. What changes can happen after the next election? Well, who knows. I don't see the current triad in danger.

We are again in the electoral campaign for the Basque Parliament.

We are... we are (smiles).

Will they advance?

We'll have to see. Well, the deadlines are short, June is there and autumn is also imminent. There are two months to see if there is a possibility of an agreement, and depending on that, we will have to see where we are going.

The issue seems to lie in defining the political subject for reaching an agreement. At least that is what can be deduced from the Loyola papers.

What you want to do, where you start and where you want to go, that’s the point. Today’s starting points are EAE, Navarre and Norte. The possibility of changing the legal framework of the first two is written in the Guernica Statute, which was stated much more clearly in the New Statute of this Government: If the people of the Basque Country and Navarre decide to do so, the roads should be provided for this purpose. To begin with, the first step could be the formation of a permanent collaborative body, each of the three territories and each society preserving its legal personality, but this will have to be said by the Navarrese. Relations with the North are in fact primarily linguistic and educational, as reflected in the existing agreement with Aquitaine. From there, it remains to be seen how far we can go towards the formation of a Euroregion within Europe. On this route, the citizens of the North will also have to say where and how far they want to go. This was the starting point of the New State, from there and coming to the Loyola papers, I do not know very well what the commitments were. It seems that there were compromises in this regard, always based on the will of the citizens.

Given what the administrative territories of the Basque Country are today, defining the political subject seems to be a struggle.

Yes, but we will have to adapt or adapt according to what I have just mentioned, always based on the will and the will of the majority of the population. One can think “I want to defend a Seven” and it could be legitimate. But this can be really viable if a majority of the men and women who live in these lands want it that way. We need to consider this premise to begin with. In the meantime, there will be problems and difficulties. And I don't even know if we're in that situation. To find a solution we have to be realistic, we have to put on the table views and opinions on the political subject, on both sides, all of us. In that little year of the peace process or ceasefire, it was mentioned that before the Bureau of the Parties was formed, the methodology had to be elaborated very well. What Tony Blair recently said serves me: “First you have to agree on the rules and then respect those rules during the process.”

As a minister of culture and talking about Tabakalera, for example. There are many initiatives that will come together around it. Are so many cultural initiatives “produced”?

Oh, yeah, yeah. Actually, you start counting and yes. Literature, for example, how many writers do we have in our little ones who travel around Europe very neatly and are starting to make the leap to North America as well? How many singers are referents, and dancers? And in the audiovisual world? Actors, scriptwriters, directors... music authors. We have a very rich picture of how little we have. “It’s horrible,” an outside friend said to me: “You are few, but go to any fair in the world and you are there.” “Yes, we were created to give war and we will continue to give it,” I told him. The panorama is rich.

You mentioned literature. I’m fascinated by the bagage that many writers have. But it's 600,000 euros for literature and millions and millions to do just a few kilometers of AAV. Writers are ‘poor’.

This is the case and precisely when the working groups for the development of the Culture Plan were defined, a working group was formed that brings together writers, translators and publishers for the development of literature. He has been working for months and among other things, his intention is to organize efficiently the resources that we have. You always try to distribute resources well, and in view of the culture budget there has been an increase that can be taken into account in recent years. I understand that people say that more is needed, and I'm sure more is needed.

After the controversy surrounding the
Euskadi Literature Awards, has your procedure improved? What do you think of the Utikan manifesto?

It is normal for people to express their disagreement, they have every right. When the task force was formed, I said that if changes were needed anywhere, I wanted them to be studied. A number of issues were raised in this committee, as well as the need for innovation in the awards. The necessary changes were also analyzed and made with the editors at the time. The terms and conditions of the Euskadi Literature Awards are agreed with them. The 2008 call has been made in line with the previous year, but there will be innovations the next time. The Utikan manifesto seems fair to me, however, most writers and translators make a positive assessment of the Euskadi Literature Awards, they see them as necessary. In other words, everyone has every right to say that they want to participate or be excluded from the prizes.

Sometimes there is a great distance between the administration and the writers. Also to reward the works of Izagirre and Alonso as juvenile literature?

That's not the job of the administration, it's the decision of the jurors. The jury has asked the EIZIE, the EIE and the winners of the previous year. The administration acts as a secretary, so to speak. The decisions that are made are in accordance with the published call, but the administration does not do anything else and if the jury says that this is to be taken into account in juvenile literature... Sometimes you agree with the jury's verdict and sometimes you don't.

Do you like Koldo Izagirre’s literature?

Oh, yeah, yeah. Despite the criticism, Miren Azkarate has always been and still is today a great writer. I very much enjoy reading his works.

In the Basque Country we will continue with the subject of the Newspaper: “Patricia is not alone. Many people agree with him,” you said after the answers or reactions provoked by his articles.

I confirm that the whole government agrees with the articles that Baztarrika has written and endorses what he has said. Patxi has said clearly what he thinks about the issue between the newspaper and ETA, which is not dismissed from the government. Patxi has denounced the injustice that occurred, he has clearly said that he does not agree with the decisions made by the National Hearing. What do you do every year to sign orders?

If there was an appearance in favor of the newspaper in the Martin Ugalde Cultural Park, it is because there is consensus between the parties, someone may think. Then came his article. The question for some is not whether he has a reason or not, but the moment. Why he didn’t write it before, some people ask.

That's something Patxi will have to answer. I accept that there may be a disagreement on this or the question “why now?” Patxi responds by saying “when is the right time?” Is that the point at which the debate can take place? All right, all right. A person has thought about publishing an article and some will understand and accept it or not. There may be different opinions. I look normal, and I think Patxi does too. It’s normal to criticize yours and feel pain. Another thing is that the image of Patxi Baztarrika wants to appear as if it were completely alone. The desire to provide an image of the isolated Deputy Minister of Language. It seems that the government doesn’t take what Patxi said, I make them my own. Patxi wanted to determine that he agreed, even in disagreement. This is legitimate, and I understand that it is also critical, but that does not mean that Patxi does not support the Journal, but the other way around. The Government reiterates what it has said year after year, which took place at the event of its fifth anniversary. But he's determined what his position is, it's legitimate. I find it appalling to say that he shares the thesis of the National Audition, that he has slipped in some way. I don't understand that.

How weak we are... in this desire to appear in unity...

I think it's the opposite...

I say weak, because there seems to be consensus among the parties that support the Journal, but then...

I don't do that reading. For me that is the consistency of the consensus. If I were in the shoes of others, I would say: all of us who have come here are in favour of all the defendants in the Diario case and the Diario project. But not because we all think in one way, we can also have different opinions and disagreements that make us even stronger and stronger to achieve unity and support. Indeed, what is being done is a terrible injustice, but if we overcome our differences and distances, with respect, they can give us much more strength than the different opinions we may have. The event at Martin Ugalde Park expresses the consensus and strength of those gathered and not the weakness. To say, “this is not the time,” is a reading. Look at the degree to which the unity between the Basques is really solid on this issue: the fact that we seem to agree with each other in different ways, even though we don’t agree on different issues, indicates a greater strength.

On the subject of the newspaper, two worlds and no adaptations.

The newspaper is not. I don't think there's any evidence to say that, even the prosecutor said there was no evidence. The National Council has nothing else in mind. He wants to see the newspaper and ETA hand in hand. But ETA has written what she has written in her papers, so in that sense... And let no one think that I am trying to justify the position of the National Audition, no less. But the considerations that ETA can make in its papers, about the relevance of this or that, are superfluous, we do not need them. It's just there to see. It's kind of creepy. What has infected this issue are the reflections of ETA and the messages sent to each other. It only hurts the projects that this society and/or the dialect wants to work on. We hold ETA accountable for many other things, including this. I'm asking you to leave the Basque language alone. As the person responsible for language and culture, I also ask ETA to disappear from this world.