• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Spain's Basque rebels Eta call 'permanent truce'

Udalbiltza - 2011/01/10

Image 1 / 1

The Basque separatist group Eta has announced a permanent ceasefire in its fight for independence from Spain.

In a video statement sent to the media, the group said the truce would be "internationally verifiable".

But the Spanish government has rejected Eta's statement, saying it contained nothing new.

Eta's campaign for independence for the Basque region has cost more than 800 lives since 1968 but it called a halt to armed attacks last year.

As in previous filmed statements, the video showed three Eta militants in white hoods. They said it was "time to act with historical responsibility".

However, they made no mention of disarming or dissolving the organisation - key demands of the Spanish government.

This is Eta's firm commitment towards a process to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation”

End Quote Eta statement

Speaking a few hours after the statement was released, Spain's Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Eta remained "as arrogant as ever".

He said the statement was not bad news but was not what the country had been hoping for.

Eta had once again failed to declare a definitive and irreversible end to violence, he said.

In the video, the Eta members said the organisation was declaring "a permanent and general ceasefire which will be verifiable by the international community".

"This is Eta's firm commitment towards a process to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation," said the statement.



Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12151597