ETA announces the definitive end of its armed activities.
For 43 years, the organization carried out acts of terrorism in the name of Basque Country independence. The Spanish government celebrates the news as a victory for democracy.
247 with international agencies - The separatist organization ETA announced yesterday the definitive end of its armed activities, after 43 years of terrorism for the independence of the Basque Country and more than 800 victims. The message was released in a video on the website of the Basque newspaper Gara, which shows three militants of the organization with white hoods and black berets, with the ETA emblem on the back. "ETA appeals to the governments of Spain and France to open a process of direct dialogue aimed at resolving the consequences of the conflict and thus overcoming the armed confrontation," they said.
The announcement came three days after the International Peace Conference, organized in San Sebastián and chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Ann, called for ETA to permanently lay down its arms.
An hour after the announcement, the Spanish government issued a statement. The head of state, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, celebrated the news as a "victory for democracy, law, and reason." Meanwhile, the leader of the People's Party, Mariano Rajoy, the favorite to become the new head of government in the November 20 elections, said that the tranquility of the Spanish people will only be complete when the irreversible dissolution and complete dismantling of ETA occurs.