Basque Separatists Say Armed Conflict Is Over

Posted on Oct 20, 2011

AP / Alvaro Barrientos

A banner calling for peace in Basque country is held aloft during a march after the 2009 funeral of Spanish National Policeman Eduardo Garcia Pueyes, who was killed by a car bombing in Bilbao that was blamed on the separatist group ETA.

After more than 40 years and 800 deaths, the Basque separatist terrorist organization ETA has “decided on the definitive cessation of its armed activity,” according to a statement published by the BBC.

The ETA had declared its intentions over the last two years to move away from violence and announced a cease-fire. The Beeb points out that the group has violated past cease-fires, but suggests that the combination of police pressure and political opportunity gives this declaration a ring of sincerity.

The ETA is calling on “the governments of Spain and France to open a process of direct dialogue which has as its aim the resolution of the consequences of the conflict and thus the conclusion of the armed conflict,” the statement says.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called the announcement “a victory for democracy, law and reason.”

It’s also proof that police work and dialogue are the best answers to terrorism. As the BBC reports, “Dozens of ETA militants, including successive leaders, have been arrested and jailed, and analysts say the group realizes its days are numbered.” The ETA cites a recent conference, featuring former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other foreign dignitaries, as the inspiration for its decision to lay down arms, saying, “We face a historic opportunity to obtain a just and democratic solution to the age-old political conflict.”  —PZS

More Below the Ad

New and Improved Comments

We are launching a major overhaul of our comments section.

In addition to more robust spam filtering and moderation, new features include the ability to rate other comments, sort how they are displayed and respond directly via e-mail or in a thread.

Unfortunately, commenters will lose their existing Truthdig identities. It's a pain, we know, but on the plus side you will now be able to log in with a plethora of options, including Google, Twitter, Facebook and Disqus accounts.

Before launching this system we spent months in discussion with our top commenters. We listened to the feedback and we hope you like what we've come up with.

Please direct any problems or concerns to us via our contact page.