Jimmy Carter compares Spanish Constitutional Court's errors with those of the US Supreme Court

Barcelona (CNA).- The former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, compared this Thursday the Spanish Constitutional Court’s (CC) sentence with some of the most “erroneous” U.S. Supreme Court decisions this year, such as the funding of political campaigns and the reaffirmation of the right to bear arms. In a previous press conference to receive the Premi Internacional Catalunya award, Carter recommended that Catalans have “patience” because the CC cannot change the “unique character” of Catalan culture that will “continue to be perpetuated and admired for the next 1,000 years.” According to Carter, the sentence creates a “temporal aberration” between Catalonia and the rest of the Spanish State. He also affirmed that he has “confidence” in Catalan society.

Premi Internacional Catalunya 2010

Jimmy Carter has been awarded the prestigious Premi Internacional Catalunya in its 2010 edition. The ceremony took place last night and Carter stated that it represents a “symbol of trust for what he does”. The jury, headed by the Catalan philosopher Xavier Rubert de Ventós, decided to give the award to Carter for his continuous work to defend democracy and human rights as well as his personal intervention in the resolution of conflicts such as the Camp David agreements between Israel and Palestine and the Panama Canal devolution. According to Rubert de Ventós, Carter is a man “of heart and courage”, who has always defended the values he believes in, even if such defence may have cost him his reelection. Jimmy Carter is the 22nd person to receive such award. The award is given to people who have contributed, in a decisive way with their work, to develop cultural, scientific and human values around the world. Among the list of personalities who have received the award are the violoncellist Miroslav Rostropovitx, the economist Amartya Sen, Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the philosopher Karl Popper, the politician Jacques Delors, the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, the oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the religious figure Pere Casaldàliga. The prize comes with a sum of 100,000 euros and a sculpture by Antoni Tàpies entitled ‘The key and the letter’.

Being tougher on Israel

In a speech given before the award ceremony, the President who won the Nobel Peace prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts and to advance democracy and human rights”, as well as his role in the Camp David agreements, gave his opinion on the current Israel-Palestine conflict. Carter advised current President Obama to be “more aggressive” regarding Israel’s illegal settlements in East Jerusalem, at the cost of provoking Netanyahu’s Government to feel “uncomfortable”.

Carter pointed out that Arab states have proclaimed that they would recognise Israel’s existence if Israel respects the borders fixed in 1967. The former US President has encouraged Obama to keep putting pressure on Israel to abandon occupied territories. Carter has also hoped that, if Netanyahu’s partners in government change, it might be easier to have a majority keen on bringing peace into the territory in the near future.

Regarding Iran, Carter has said that the USA, the EU and Russia must continue putting pressure on the Islamic country, demanding it not to continue with its nuclear programme. However, he thinks that the USA should have “more diplomatic relations and talks” with Iran’s leaders and that threats coming from Israel saying that Iran will be attacked must be stopped since this attitude only “stimulates Iranians who have doubts” to carry on with their nuclear plans.

International observers for a hypothetical independence referendum

In the press conference held at the seat of the Catalan Government, the Generalitat Palace, Jimmy Carter has stated that the Carter Foundation would send international observers in the case of a referendum on the Catalan independence. He has stated that he would only do this if the Carter Foundation were to be asked by the Catalan Government. “I would accept the invitation to help ensuring that the will of the Catalan people is expressed in the best way”, he said. However, he has clarified that the foundation sends observers to countries where elections could have “problems” to be discussed in a democratic environment.