Over the weekend two Spanish regions, Galicia and the Basque country, are set to hold elections.

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This might if their wildest dreams came true eventually include French bits of the Basque Country as well as the Spanish province of Navarre.

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Mr Aznar has little room for manoeuvre, short of giving Basques total independence and most people in the Basque country, probably including a slim majority of ethnic Basques, want to stay Spanish.

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Catalonia's nearby regions, the Basque country, and Galicia in the Northwest of Spain also have self-governance mandates under the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

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He fears that the Spanish government is trying to roll back some of the hard-won powers of regions such as Catalonia and the Basque country.

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