Just as last year was coming to a close, the declarations of two deputies from the National Action Party (PAN) once again provided an international dimension to the current conflict in Oaxaca. On December 30th, 2006, the two federal legislators, Alejandro Landero Gutiérrez and Cristian Castaño Contreras, both from PAN, asserted that the United Left (IU), a Spanish political party, was intervening in Mexican affairs, given that it had publicly declared its support for the struggle of the Popular Assembly of the Oaxacan People (APPO).

In addition, without providing any evidence, the legislators alleged that the IU had financially supported the mobilizations taking place in Oaxaca and, with patriotic fervour, warned of “a clear contravention of Article 33 in our constitution” and a violation of Mexican national sovereignty.

Of course, spokespersons for the Popular Assembly immediately denied their accusations and publicly declared that there are hundreds of organizations and political groups from more than 30 countries that have demonstrated their support for the people’s struggle in Oaxaca and that it´s the people themselves who are sustaining the fight.

In Spain, demonstrations of solidarity with the Oaxacan people have taken place in front of the Mexican Embassy and Mexican consulates in which thousands of people from various groups and unions have participated. Dozens of groups of people have been mobilizing throughout Spain, from trade unionists who are members of the central labour bodies (CNT and CGT) to collectives in support of the Zapatistas.

However, the declarations of these “patriotic” representatives from the National Action Party fail to mention the blatant intervention of the neo-Franco1 Popular Party (PP) and the interests which it represents within the political and economic life of our country and of Oaxaca in particular. Of course they also “forget” that on February 21st of last year in Mexico during a public event, José María Aznar solicited votes for PAN’s presidential candidate, in an act for which additionally the National Action Party was only belatedly sanctioned.

This particular act of interference is just one indicator of the close alliance that exists between PAN and the PP; both of which are also important members of the international network of Christian Democratic parties and which share the same economic interests. Under the administration of Vicente Fox, strategic areas of the energy sector were illegally opened up to big Spanish companies such as Unión Fenosa, Endesa, Repsol and Iberdrola.

It is also public knowledge that the Popular Party has strong relationships with the large Spanish energy and banking corporations, to the degree that senior executives of these companies have held high-level posts under right-wing governments lead by the PP.

Without a doubt one emblematic case is that of the giant electric company, Iberdrola, in which key company men such as Benigno Blanco, Guillermo Heras, Pascual Fernandez and Jaume Matas served as high-level members within ex-President Aznar’s cabinet.

As a result it is not mere coincidence that the giant Iberdrola also received favours from the Fox government demonstrated by its implementation of the “Venta II” project in 2006 with an investment of more than 110 million dollars. On the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the State of Oaxaca, the wind-power megaproject was put into operation, requiring the direct intervention of the state government, PRI party chieftans and federal officials from various agencies (PRI is the Revolutionary Institutional Party which currrently governs Oaxaca).

Local and community Zapoteca leaders from the towns of La Venta, La Mata, La Ventosa and Ingenio Santo Domingo, have consistently denounced the gangster-style methods used by government representatives under Jose Murat and Ulises Ruiz obliging farmers and native peoples to sell their land at low prices. For its part, Greenpeace has denounced the Secretary of the Environment for accepting environmental impact assessments which were poorly executed and full of aberrations.

This megaproject has hardly begun and it is already clear that for the big Spanish companies involved, the electoral victory of Felipe Calderon was fundamental for it to continue. At the time, I never once doubted that the Friends of Fox received funds from these Spanish companies and I also presume that they must have made important contributions to PAN’s 2006 electoral campaign. I am basing this supposition on the insistent tone used by Spanish investors during a recent meeting with President Calderón.

Given the insistent tone used by some Spanish investors present for the Mexican-Spanish Forum on Investment and Business Cooperation, this past December 5th, it would appear that the big Spanish companies want to immediately collect on their outstanding accounts,. Without a doubt, when President Calderón pointed to the construction of airports, highways, bridges, dams, energy infrastructure and tourism as windows of opportunity, he simply confirmed that the interests of these Spanish corporations will be well attended to by his government.

The shadow of the dictator Francisco Franco is passing over the Oaxacan Isthmus and -- what a surprise! -- he is not walking alone; he is accompanied by the quiet and serious shadow of Porfirio Diaz (a Mexican President from the 19th century).

(1) Refers to Francisco Franco, the former fascist dictator of Spain.
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