Spanish Separatist Group Ends Year Long Cease-Fire

The Basque nationalist group ETA has called off a cease-fire agreement with the Spanish government, a move that many fear will lead to renewed violence in the region.  The move comes a week after ETA’s political wing, Batasuna, was denied participation in local elections for refusing to condemn a recent ETA attack.   In a statement to the Basque language newspapers, the group labeled Prime Minister Jose Zapatero as a “fascist” and alleging that "The minimum conditions for continuing a process of negotiations (with the Spanish government) do not exist."

Many had hoped that the March 2006 “permanent” cease-fire agreement would lead to a new era of peace between separatists and the Spanish government.  Exploratory peace talks between Zapatero and ETA leaders soon followed, although they failed to produce any meaningful progress.  Conservatives and victims’ rights groups opposed talks and harshly criticized Zapatero, a Socialist, for negotiating with what they consider to be a terrorist group.

Many Spaniards had already considered ETA’s promise broken after a December 2006 bombing at Madrid airport killed two Ecuadorians.  Nevertheless, following the attack the group maintained that the March agreement was still in place.  Zapatero responded to the bombing by announcing that the government would no longer trust any promise of a cease-fire and demanded ETA renounce violence and lay down their arms.  Recently, the Spanish and French governments have clamped down on separatists, arresting 21 ETA members this year.

ETA’s ultimate goal is autonomy for the Basque peoples of Northern Spain and Southwestern France.  Their campaign for independence began over 40 years ago, when the dictatorship of Francisco Franco attempted to suppress the Basque language and culture.  The group’s 1973 of Admiral Luis Blanco is widely seen as hastening the end of fascism in Spain.  Since the collapse of the Franco regime, ETA has made hundreds of attacks on Spanish political and military targets, resulting in over 800 deaths.  Recently, the group has expressed an interest in attacking tourists visiting Spain, calling them “legitimate targets.”  The group has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. 

For more information, please see:

“Basque group calls off cease-fire” CNN.com
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/05/spain.eta/index.html 5 June 2007

“Eta to end ceasefire with Spain” BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6721305.stm 5 June 2007

“Viewpoint: Basques see new hope” BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4837508.stm 23 March 2006

“ETA calls off year-old cease-fire” Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070605/ap_on_re_eu/spain_eta;_ylt=AnPuYc_Jbhr1soJ7D5Nrppdw24cA 5 June 2007

“Q&A: Eta and Basque separatism in Spain” Guardian Unlimited
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,,780871,00.html 5 June 2007

“ETA declara un alto el fuego permanente” El Pais
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/ETA/declara/alto/fuego/permanente/elpporesp/20060322elpepunac_3/Tes 5 June 2007