ETA agrees to dialogue
The armed Basque separatist group ETA has agreed to a proposal for political dialogue with the Spanish government put forward by its political wing.
The Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), which has waged a bloody three-decade campaign for a Basque homeland, said it was “wholly determined” to back proposals made by it political wing Batasuna to the central government in Madrid, in a statement published by the Gara paper on Saturday.
It called the proposals, which the Spanish government has also agreed to consider, “the most effective political contribution presented so far to try to settle the conflict between the Basque country and the state”, the statement said.
“The only way to resolve the conflict is to organise an open and concrete dialogue aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement,” said the statement, published in the Basque language.