Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

Zapatero met for nearly four hours with Basque regional President Juan Jose Ibarretxe to discuss the Basque proposal, which seeks to amend Spain's 1979 charter giving the region broad autonomy by transforming the Basque region into a "free state" associated with Spain. The region would have its own court system and send representatives to international bodies, such as the European Union, under the plan.

Juan Jose Ibarretxe

The government says the plan is a step toward secession, and the constitution bars the country's regions from breaking away from Spain.

Ibarretxe said he formally asked Zapatero to open negotiations with the Basque government -- and warned that if the requests are rejected, he will go ahead with plans for a referendum in the region.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 22, 2005
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