hatzel
10th January 2011, 13:53
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".
It said it 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.
'Arrogant'
But it said it would continue its "indefatigable struggle" for a "truly democratic situation in the Basque Country".
There was no explicit reference to the group giving up its arms, which has been a key demand of the government.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Madrid says the strong language in the statement goes further than Eta has before, particularly the claim that the truce would be "verifiable", which could indicate a willingness to disarm.
But speaking a few hours after the statement was released, Spain's Interior Ninister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Eta had again failed to declare a definitive and irreversible end to violence.
He said the statement was not bad news but was not what the country had been hoping for.
Eta was not abandoning its demands and remained "as arrogant as ever", he said.
Spain's socialist government has been wary of Eta's claims since the last truce was broken by a bomb attack at Madrid's Barajas airport in December 2006, says our correspondent.
That attack resulted in peace talks being called off.
In September last year, Eta announced an end to its armed offensive but the government said the move was too weak for negotiations to restart.
The government argues that the militant group has been seriously weakened by the arrest of most of its key leadership in recent years.
It has also come under pressure from its political wing, Batasuna, which has been outlawed because of its connections to Eta but wants to be able to take part in local elections later this year.
Source (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12151597)
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".
It said it 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.
'Arrogant'
But it said it would continue its "indefatigable struggle" for a "truly democratic situation in the Basque Country".
There was no explicit reference to the group giving up its arms, which has been a key demand of the government.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Madrid says the strong language in the statement goes further than Eta has before, particularly the claim that the truce would be "verifiable", which could indicate a willingness to disarm.
But speaking a few hours after the statement was released, Spain's Interior Ninister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Eta had again failed to declare a definitive and irreversible end to violence.
He said the statement was not bad news but was not what the country had been hoping for.
Eta was not abandoning its demands and remained "as arrogant as ever", he said.
Spain's socialist government has been wary of Eta's claims since the last truce was broken by a bomb attack at Madrid's Barajas airport in December 2006, says our correspondent.
That attack resulted in peace talks being called off.
In September last year, Eta announced an end to its armed offensive but the government said the move was too weak for negotiations to restart.
The government argues that the militant group has been seriously weakened by the arrest of most of its key leadership in recent years.
It has also come under pressure from its political wing, Batasuna, which has been outlawed because of its connections to Eta but wants to be able to take part in local elections later this year.
Source (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12151597)