Spanish PM slams Basque autonomy plan News
Spanish PM slams Basque autonomy plan

[JURIST] Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday that an autonomy plan passed by Basque lawmakers last week is doomed for failure and called the proposal secessionist, unconstitutional and an anomaly in a Europe moving to become more united. Last Thursday, the Basque regional legislature approved a plan seeking to amend the 1970 charter that granted the Basque region autonomy over its police force, schools, health care, tax revenue and other public services. The plan seeks to transform the region's status into a "free state" associated with Spain. The proposal must be approved by the Spanish Parliament before it would come into force. In a news conference Monday, President Zapatero rejected calls that the government file suit against the proposal in the Constitutional Court, saying a lawsuit would freeze the initiative and prevent Parliament from debating and rejecting the proposal. AP has more. From Madrid, El Mundo has local coverage in Spanish