Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

3 P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches Laureates. Excerpts Since its beginnings, the Association for Peace has assumed as its own Ghandi’s well-known phrase: “There are no ways for peace, peace is the way”, converting it into an authentic pillar of its message and practice. In fact, the men and women who, in one way or another, have made the message and the practice of the Association for Peace their own, are people with very different ideologies and political options, but with one conviction in common: that our ideas and projects will only have meaning if we develop them and defend them through peaceful means. These are the only means which will allow us to build a future in peace for everyone and for ever. The peace which we are claiming is a peace for everyone, because it does not reject any idea or project defended by peaceful, democratic means. We have rejected violence and we have opted for words, reason and dialogue. This is very important. In Euskal Herria, there are no perverse ideas only perverse means. Nobody must be asked to give up their ideas; only that they make them prosper by resorting to the only really human means, which are the means of free discussion and conviction. So let us not place more limitations on ideas than those which are derived from the social adhesion which they achieve. All political ideas can be defended by peaceful, democratic means. This statement means, first and foremost, that it is completely illegitimate to resort to violence. But it must also be possible for any idea to be put forward and developed within the democratic context. In this way, the peace that we desire will be a peace for all of us, because it will be built by all of us. All society has an important, active role to play in the construction of a future in peace and in overcoming the deep, social fissure which violence has created. But the peace which we are demanding is also a peace for ever. Partial or short-term solutions are no good to us. We must close this page of our history, avoiding the temptation to go back. A peace and coexistence for ever must be based on human rights, democratic principles and the tolerance of political options. A peace for ever, supported on these pillars, implies a serious option for reconciliation. We sometimes tend to think that this will be established in a ceremony, a moment, a photo or an agreement. But reconciliation cannot nor will be fruit of a moment, but of a process in which it will be necessary for all society to take part to heal the wounds resulting from so many years of violence. The peace for ever which we long for can only be fruit of the recovery for society of those who tolerate or use violence. It would be a question of guiding this group back to an open, plural and only then reconciled society. María Guijarro, on behalf of the Association for Peace in the Basque Country — Prince of Asturias Award for Concord 1993 The Association for Peace in the Basque Country ceased its activities in June 2013, following the announcement by ETA of the cessation of its armed activity. — Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord on 27/11/1993.