TIME TO SWALLOW, MY FRIENDS

For Spanish government, media and main parties (PSOE and PP) the time to swallow is approaching. Kosovo will be independent sometimes between today and next May. Most probably next January. Spain must swallow the independence of Kosovo, as previously did with the independence of Montenegro and before that of the rest of new states coming into existence since 1989. His opinion is irrelevant. 

Of the 27 European Union states, Spain sides with the block most opposed to the recognition of Kosovo Independence. This block is also formed by the following states: Greece,  Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia. All these states fear that the Kosovo precedent will impact in their domestic affairs. In the Spanish case, of course, politicians and journalists realize that Kosovo's access to independence will mark a precedent: the break up of a State Territorial Integrity , that can be useful for future cases, like Catalan one. 

But since USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and even France, are for the recognition of Kosovo Independence, Spain's stand is completely marginal. No one cares about it. That's the reality Spanish politicians and media tend to ignore. They think of themselves to be the World's centerpiece. And frankly, they are not. In fact, they are far away of being the World's centerpiece of something, except, maybe, of corruption.

Catalonia's Independence Movement, once the moment arrives, will hail enthusiastically the Kosovo accession to Freedom and Independence. Their Liberty approaches our's, even though, our political context differs so much from Kosovo's.

Also, it deserves to be mentioned that Kosovo's independence won't be happily accepted by a key european actor, such as Mr. Javier Solana (picture). As a Spanish politician, he is squarely opposed to Catalonia's Independence. After Montenegro's episode, where he made his best to prevent the accession to Independence of the former Yugoslavian Republic, his leadership at European level is almost inexistent. 

In the current debate, the two main international actors  have been the United States (favouring the Independence of Kosovo), and Russia (opposing it). Also United Nations and NATO have played an important, if controversial role. But this is not the case, again, of the European Union, that until now, has been unable to reach a common stand. So the visibility of Solana's figure has been really very low.

For the record. Solana's political mentor was his uncle Salvador de Madariaga. Exiled in London during the Francoist regime, Madariaga once was quoted to say that "Even though Franco's regime is bad, may be it solves in a definitive way the Catalan question". 

Francoist dictatorship not only banned Catalan Language and Culture, practicing a cultural extermination policy, but also assassinated thousands of Catalan Patriots, including the President of Catalonia, Mr. Lluís Companys in 1940. Mr. Companys (picture) was captured by Gestapo in the occupied France, and handed over to Francoist police. He was tortured, and submitted to a fake judicial process, condemned and assassinated by a fire squad in  Barcelona's Montjuïch Castle. 

Mr. Lluís Companys was the only democratically elected President assassinated by Fascist regime. His trial and sentence, has not yet been declared illegal and void.