Eta declares permanent ceasefire

[WUOrevolt]

Eta declares permanent ceasefire

Eta said the ceasefire would start on Friday
The Basque separatist group Eta has declared a permanent ceasefire.
Eta is blamed for killing more than 800 people in its four-decade fight for independence for the Basque region of northern Spain and south-west France.

In a statement released to Basque media, the group said its objective now was "to start a new democratic process in the Basque country".

Spain's deputy prime minister said it was "good news for all Spaniards", but appealed for "more caution than ever".

Ending the conflict, here and now, is possible - this is the desire and the will of Eta

Eta statement


Text of ceasefire statement
Your views: End of conflict?

"It is our desire and our will that this should be the beginning of the end," Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said.

But opposition leader Mariano Rajoy said the ceasefire was a pause and it did not amount to a renunciation of criminal activity.

"It does not repent of anything and it does not ask the victims of terrorism for forgiveness," he told Spanish TV.

The statement was also rejected by Spain's Association of Victims of Terrorism as "a new trick by the murderers to achieve their political objectives".

"The only announcement that the AVT is waiting to hear from Eta is that it has disbanded and that its terrorists will be handed over so they can be tried in Spain," it said.

The Eta announcement was made by a woman in a mask wearing a black Basque beret, flanked by two colleagues similarly dressed.

"At the end of this process, Basque citizens will be able to have a voice and the power to decide their future," the statement said.

"Ending the conflict, here and now, is possible," it said. "This is the desire and the will of Eta."

It said the ceasefire would begin on Friday 24 March.

First step

The group's activities have been waning, with the number of bombings falling in recent years. The last deadly Eta attack was in May 2003.



Some analysts said its campaign became virtually untenable after the bomb attacks on Madrid in March 2004, blamed on Islamists, caused widespread popular revulsion.

Nearly 200 people died in the series of attacks, on trains in the capital.

In the 1970s Eta killed 100 people or more every year, many of them Spanish police, judges and politicians.

There have been several small bombs in recent weeks but the BBC's correspondent in Madrid, Danny Wood, says Wednesday's announcement could be the first step towards a formal peace process between the group and the Spanish government.

ETA TIMELINE
1959: Eta founded
1968: Eta kills San Sebastian secret police chief Meliton Manzanas, its first victim
1973: PM Luis Carrero Blanco assassinated
1978: Political wing Herri Batasuna formed
1980: 118 people killed in bloodiest year
Sept 1998: First ceasefire
Nov 1999: End of ceasefire, followed by more bomb attacks in January and February 2000
Dec 2001: EU declares Eta a terrorist organisation
March 2003: Batasuna banned by Supreme Court
May 2003: Two police killed in Eta's last deadly attack
Nov 2005: 56 alleged Eta activists on trial in the largest prosecution of its kind


Key events

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has said a permanent end to hostilities by Eta is a condition for any talks between the organisation and the government.

A spokeswoman for the government said it was "analysing" the statement.

Eta, which is classed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, declared a full ceasefire in 1998.

This led to a dialogue with the conservative government of Jose Maria Aznar. But it broke down, the truce was rescinded a year later and Eta embarked on a renewed bombing campaign.

However, Spanish and French police responded with a wave of arrests which were said to have hit the organisation hard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4832672.stm

[Niall]

i think it is good thing that this has happened. I do support ETA and the basque people right to self determination. ETA has got them so far, now it's time to see if can move forward politically. If not.....

[Andy Bowden]

It's quite possible to accept that the environment for armed struggle no longer exists in the Basque country - while still maintaining that it is oppressed while it is still ruled by Spain.

Just like the IRSP recognises that the conditions for fighting the state in Ulster no longer exist, but still oppose partition.

I think there can be positive outcomes from this if Batasuna doesn't sell out it's politics and become a new Sinn Fein. They can organise protests against the Spanish govts repressive policies - it's torture and murder of activists, its silencing of papers, the threat of the Spanish Military - without Spain using ETA as a scapegoat.

That said, if Spain sent the military in or did something that would completely change the situation in the Basque country the conditions for armed struggle might exist again.

[Niall]

Originally posted by Andy [email protected] 22 2006, 04:24 PM
It's quite possible to accept that the environment for armed struggle no longer exists in the Basque country - while still maintaining that it is oppressed while it is still ruled by Spain.

Just like the IRSP recognises that the conditions for fighting the state in Ulster no longer exist, but still oppose partition.

I think there can be positive outcomes from this if Batasuna doesn't sell out it's politics and become a new Sinn Fein. They can organise protests against the Spanish govts repressive policies - it's torture and murder of activists, its silencing of papers, the threat of the Spanish Military - without Spain using ETA as a scapegoat.

That said, if Spain sent the military in or did something that would completely change the situation in the Basque country the conditions for armed struggle might exist again.
very true, which is a reson why ETA should never disarm

[Andy Bowden]

Yes, a ceasefire for now may be the best idea, but if any Spanish Nationalist General - of which there are plenty - wants to stop any attempt made by the Basque people to gain their independence through force, those ETA guns will come in handy.

[Niall]

yeah, and though i dont like quoting loyalist paramilitaries "prepared for peace, ready for war"

[McLeft]

Well, at least there's peace now, i do not believe in gaining power through violence, let's hope they can gain more autonomy or even complete independence by political means, replace the bullets for words, that's the way to go.

[el Rebesnét del Tio Canya]

Originally posted by [email protected] 22 2006, 06:51 PM
yeah, and though i dont like quoting loyalist paramilitaries "prepared for peace, ready for war"
For that, the majoritary separatist basque government don't declares the independence.

The spanish Constitution says that the "spanish nation" is indivisible and the militaries should go to the separatist territories to stop the situation.

The spanish state is against the autodetermination right of the UN... but, this is democracy?

[bcbm]

This is definitely a strong political move by ETA as it basically forces the government into a situation where they have to start negotiating and ceding things to the Basque people, or be exposed for the pieces of shit they really are. For years they've made Batasuna illegal and refused to talk to ETA or anything else because ETA "wouldn't declare a cease-fire." Now they're out of excuses and self-determination in the Basque Country grows closer. Gora Euskal Herria!

[Emperor Ronald Reagan]

Originally posted by [email protected] 22 2006, 08:38 PM
..i do not believe in gaining power through violence, let's hope they can gain more autonomy or even complete independence by political means, replace the bullets for words, that's the way to go.
.. Says the guy with a Che avatar and 'Fight the power' sig.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

I know right? I guess he thinks we can hunger strike the bourgeoisie out of power.

[cyu]

I know right? I guess he thinks we can hunger strike the bourgeoisie out of power.

Well, you could simply act as if the laws you want have already been passed (civil disobedience / direct action) then engage in self-defence when attacked by the ruling class. Not strictly non-violent, but not purposely violent either. Of course, you'd need a critical mass of people involved if you want the change to be permanent.

[Djehuti]

Originally posted by [email protected] 22 2006, 05:03 PM
1973: PM Luis Carrero Blanco assassinated

And what an assasination! One ton of demolitions threw that fascist bastard and his car over the San Francisco de Borga church! :wub:

One of the best political murders ever!



But they should have laid down their weapons soon after the end of the Franco regime, however the socialist party and it's anti-ETA death squads surely made that hard. But their rebellion is quite fruitless today, and the current social democrat goverment in Spain is quite reasonable towards the basque community and it's demands, so it's really time to quit the armed seperatist struggle (and time to start the class war).

[WUOrevolt]

Interesting responses from people all over the world here: BBC (http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=1&threadID=1377&start=0&tstart=0&edition=2&ttl=20060323235438&#paginator)
Heres one I found especially interesting:

I lived in the basque country and i have met people who are in ETA.working everyday men who just want a bit of freedom to decide what they do with their homeland and how they live their lives.The rest is media soup.Get informed,the new world needs us to be aware of the old tricks and forward looking.No more lies about people who fight for their freedom.I thought the "terrorist" sign is now put only to those who dont fit the new US policies

George Soil, portugal

Although i am not a supporter of ETA in their killing of innocent people, I understand the Basque want for independence.

After the Madrid bombings in 2004, it was not long before ETA would enter into a cease-fire, seeing as how people were going to link them with Islamic terrorism if they continued their car bombing campaign. It is not surprising that in their most recent attacks, ETA made sure not to hurt anyone.

I wonder if ths will take them off the US and EU list of Terrorist organiztions, and they will unmask.

[bcbm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23 2006, 10:36 AM
But they should have laid down their weapons soon after the end of the Franco regime
Why? The Spanish State's new constitution rejected any sort of self-determination for any part of Spain and the Basque people rejected that constitution, which was enforced on them anyway. "Democracy" in Spain didn't look all that different in much of the Basque Country during the early years, and even to this day the suppression hasn't changed that much.

[Black Dagger]

Well, you could simply act as if the laws you want have already been passed (civil disobedience / direct action) then engage in self-defence when attacked by the ruling class. Not strictly non-violent, but not purposely violent either. Of course, you'd need a critical mass of people involved if you want the change to be permanent.

Why the round about way to get to armed struggle? The class war is a war of self-defence, it's not violence for violence's sake.

[Janus]

"Permanent" ceasefire begins

BBC News

The first permanent ceasefire called by the Basque separatist group Eta has come into effect.
The truce began at midnight local time (2300 GMT) amid cautious optimism across Spain that it might signal an end to decades of conflict.

Earlier, Eta issued a statement urging both Spain and France to enter into peace negotiations.

The European Union on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire, saying it was a "very positive sign".

Bumpy road

Eta said in a statement handed to the Basque newspaper Gara on Thursday: "It is time to make important decisions, moving from words to deeds."

It called on Spain and France to seize the opportunities offered by its decision to lay down arms.
Eta has been blamed for killing more than 800 people in its four-decade fight for independence for the Basque region of northern Spain and south-west France.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has said he will take time deciding how to respond to Eta's ceasefire, which was announced on Wednesday.

The BBC's Jim Fish, who spent the hours leading up to the truce in the Basque city of San Sebastian, says the mood there is of cautious optimism.

He says the overriding sense is of a society suspended between doubt and hope, aware that after nearly 40 years of violence, any peace process is likely to be slow and bumpy.

There is also the feeling that if this really is the beginning of the end - as Mr Zapatero believes - that end is not yet in sight.

Mr Zapatero himself has warned that any peace talks will be "difficult".

"We will react with prudence to reach the end of this historic drama," he said.

The EU on Thursday, in the shape of current president, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, said the truce was positive.

He said the EU would discuss it with Mr Zapatero at this week's EU summit in Brussels.

Eta's activities had been waning, with the number of bombings falling in recent years. The last deadly Eta attack was in May 2003.

Some analysts said Eta's campaign became virtually untenable after the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, blamed on Islamists, caused widespread popular revulsion.

Since 1999, Spanish and French police have also carried out a wave of arrests which are said to have hit the organisation hard.

[Commie Rat]

Both a good day and a bad day. This situtation could go either way, with the ETA slowing down the younger, more firebrand members could split and form a 'terrorist organization' which would slander the trad. ETA.
Conversly the ETA could slow itself down and joinin electoral politics and lose its radical edge and maybe (if the situation gets worse enough) lose its roots altogether.

[chebol]

The peseta has finally dropped. :P
ETA was due for a scaling back in operations anyway. They have been trying to do it for years, as the armed road has been continually blocked. However, the political space to organise has always been closed off by the Spanish government, and then September 11 happened, and Madrid, which made it harder for ETA to stay active (violence suddenly equalling terrorism) and probably made it harder to take the necessary steps to call a ceasefire without seeming like they were surrendering to the new post 9/11 "anti-terrorist" moralism. Now seems like a good opening, particularly in the light of the IRA recent jig. What happens to the hard-core nationalists now, and whether they form any new ultra-nationalist splinter groups, remains to be seen.

I'm more interested in what behind-the-scenes negotiations are going on, and also want to know what the PP's dealings were with ETA, and where all that info went on the election night.

Most of all, though, I think the region has sighed a great sigh of relief. ETA isn't 'giving up', but at least now there's scope for them to regain some of their popularity, and maybe convince more people than the quarter who support independence, without subjecting the population to the constant fear of an armed struggle that wasn't really going anywhere.

[Niall]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2006, 12:06 AM


I wonder if ths will take them off the US and EU list of Terrorist organiztions, and they will unmask.
i imagine it will take some time for that to happen

[The Grey Blur]

I can see Basque independence coming...

[WUOrevolt]

Originally posted by Niall+Mar 24 2006, 02:52 PM--> (Niall @ Mar 24 2006, 02:52 PM)
[email protected] 24 2006, 12:06 AM


I wonder if ths will take them off the US and EU list of Terrorist organiztions, and they will unmask.
i imagine it will take some time for that to happen [/b]
I'm guessing we will see some members of ETA speaking for Basque non terrorist groups, but wont know that they are ETA members.

[Gryphon]

Eta declares permanent ceasefire


eh, who cares&#33; <_<

[WUOrevolt]

Originally posted by [email protected] 2 2006, 08:39 AM

Eta declares permanent ceasefire


eh, who cares&#33; <_<
Those concerned with the Basque independence movement obviously.

[Cheung Mo]

The ETA used to be cool: Slaughtering Francoists is a heroic act, and I know that if there&#39;s an after life, they&#39;re damn happy in it.

Nowadays though...

[Janus]

Originally posted by BBC News
Tens of thousands of people joined a march in northern Spain urging greater self-determination for the Basque region and negotiations with Eta.
The Basque separatist group declared a permanent ceasefire last month but the government wants clear signals violence has ended before it engages in talks.

Key figures from Basque political parties attended the rally in Bilbao.

Earlier, the outlawed Batasuna party asked the public to help pay bail for three jailed separatist leaders.

Among those taking part in Saturday&#39;s march was Rev Alec Reid, a Catholic priest from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who acted as a mediator in the Eta ceasefire agreement.

"Dialogue is the only way to normalise the Basque country," protester Susana Gomez told the Associated Press news agency.

Key figure

Earlier, Batasuna spokesman Joseba Permach said the party needed to raise nearly 650,000 euros (&#036;788,000; £453,000) in bail money.

One of the three jailed leaders, Arnaldo Otegi, is facing trial for instigating violence during a general strike called earlier this month, in protest at the death of two Batasuna members in jail.

The Spanish government initially said it would press for Mr Otegi to be remanded in custody until his trial begins.

But the High Court judge, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, set bail after the prosecutors raised no objection.

Mr Otegi&#39;s Batasuna party is considered the political wing of Eta, which waged a violent 38-year campaign for independence for the Basque region, resulting in the loss of some 800 lives.

Analysts say Mr Otegi is likely to be a key figure in any future peace negotiations between the group and the Spanish government.

[Guerrilla22]

I&#39;m sure they&#39;ll get much farther by talking. <_<

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2006, 06:46 PM
I&#39;m sure they&#39;ll get much farther by talking. <_<
Taking your sarcasm into account: you think they should have continued their violent bombing campaign?

Keep in mind that your member title is &#39;respect life always&#39; :lol:

[bcbm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2006, 12:46 PM
I&#39;m sure they&#39;ll get much farther by talking. <_<
Several decades of bombing hasn&#39;t gotten them particularly far, although it has nicely exposed to the Basque people how the nature of the state won&#39;t change. The violent campaign enabled the Spanish state to deny neogtiations and any consideration for Basque autonomy or independence. With the armed struggle ended, the State no longer has eny excuses and can not put off Basque demands any longer. Talking has done much for the Catalonian people and I suspect the Basque people will soon enjoy benefits as well.

[Janus]

Originally posted by BBC News
Spain&#39;s prime minister and the Basque regional president have agreed that the armed Basque separatist group Eta must maintain a ceasefire and end extortion.
Eta declared a permanent ceasefire on 22 March. The group has been engaged in a violent campaign for Basque independence for more than 30 years.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero discussed the ceasefire with Basque leader Juan Jose Ibarretxe.

They said Eta must stop using extortion against businesses and politicians.

Mr Zapatero said multi-party talks on the political future of the Basque region could only begin once the Eta ceasefire was confirmed.

His deputy, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, said Eta&#39;s banned political wing Batasuna would be excluded from such talks.

"It is time to work for peace, the time for politics will come later," the AFP news agency quoted her as saying.

Mr Ibarretxe said he was keen to play an active role in talks to decide the Basque region&#39;s future.