Spanish leaders clash over ETA and immigration

Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy accused each other in an election TV debate of lying to voters over policy on ETA guerillas and immigration.

Early surveys by television channels said Zapatero, whose Socialists lead by about five percentage points in opinion polls ahead of the March 9 election, had won the first live TV debate for 15 years between a prime minister and opposition leader.

The ruling Socialists led a peace process with ETA that failed when two people were killed in a bomb attack at Madrid airport in late 2006. Mr Rajoy's People's Party accused Mr Zapatero of being soft over the Basque separatist guerillas.

"You have lied and duped all of Spain's people," Mr Rajoy, whose party argues Mr Zapatero should never have opened the door to talks with ETA, said in the televised duel with Mr Zapatero.

"(By negotiating with ETA) you acted frivolously, benefiting the terrorists and damaging the rest of us ... that is the most significant failure of this legislature," said Mr Rajoy.

ETA guerillas have killed more than 800 people in their campaign for independence in the Basque region.

Mr Rajoy has also sought to make immigration a major issue for the first time in a Spanish election, calling for restrictions on the Islamic veil and proposing a visa system that would make it more difficult for Muslims to come to Spain.

Mr Zapatero said Mr Rajoy was being alarmist and stirring up trouble with his campaign issues.

"For me it is immoral to use terrorism (as an issue) for political purposes... and your party has done nothing but use it, both on the street and in Parliament," he said.

Mr Zapatero won power in 2004 because of widespread indignation that the then People's Party government falsely blamed ETA for bomb attacks on Madrid trains in which 191 people were killed.

The government's charge was undermined when al Qaeda claimed responsibility, and Islamists were subsequently arrested, charged and imprisoned.

"You are the ones who have lied. You lied about (the Madrid train bombings), trying to create a conspiracy, a worthless fabrication," said Mr Zapatero.

The Socialists' lead in opinion polls is unlikely to be enough to muster an absolute majority in Parliament.

In the past four years a construction boom helped power the average Spaniard's purchasing power past that of Italians, but it was built on debt and the global credit crunch has now paralysed the property market.

This has been a heavy blow to ordinary Spaniards, whose real wages have not risen for 10 years while the bonanza proceeds have gone mainly to companies.