Spanish campaigners hand over one million petition signatures

Spanish campaigners for debt cancellation have entered the history books after presenting an astonishing one million signatures to the Spanish Parliament. It was the first time in the history of Spanish democracy that a social initiative had managed to demonstrate such a massive level of popular support.

The petition signatures were handed over on February 18^th in boxes to Frederico Trillo, the Leader of the Spanish Parliament. The signatures reflected 16 months of hard work by over 400 organisations in the Spanish coalitions including non-governmental organisations, community groups and unions.

José Luis Corretjé, representing the Spanish Jubilee 2000 campaign "Deuda Eterna, Deuda Externa" said: "This massive effort by people in Spain has shown that we are not indifferent to those who have little."

The Spanish campaign was set up in September 1998. Since its establishment, it has organised human chains, festivals on debt, talks and conferences and meetings with representatives of the government and political parties. On 13^th and 14^th November 1999, thousands of supporters in 20 cities across Spain participated in highly imaginative demonstrations for debt cancellation prior to the Spanish Prime Minister's departure for the Ibero American Summit in Havana. Their pressure has led to support from regional governments and examination of the debt by the State Senate. The Spanish government has been slow to respond, but has gradually put its weight behind the consensus towards debt cancellation made at the Cologne G8 Summit in June 1999.

The Spanish government is owed a total of 1,750 billion pesetas (£6.4 billion) by developing countries. Each year, the Spanish Government receives 30 billion pesetas (£111 million) in debt service from the 41 Highly Indebted Poor Countries.

José Luis Corretjé commented: "We are a million people and more who believe that the poorest countries debts should be cancelled and that resources used for servicing debts must instead by invested in health, education and care for the environment. But this petition collection is not the end of our task. We must and will continue our campaign while the debt remains a bloody reality for millions of the world's poor."