[News] ETA ceasefire announced

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Eta ceasefire statement in full
January 10, 2011
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12152928>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12152928

The Basque separatist group Eta has announced a 
permanent ceasefire in its campaign for 
independence from Spain, which has cost most than 
800 lives over the past 40 years. This is the statement in full.

"With this declaration Eta, the Basque socialist 
revolutionary organisation for national 
liberation, wishes to give news of its decision to the Basque Country:

In recent months, from Brussels to Gernika 
[Guernica], well known personalities on the world 
level and many Basque social and political 
actors, have stressed the need to bring a just 
and democratic solution to the centuries-old 
conflict. ETA agrees. The solution will come 
through the democratic process with dialogue and 
negotiation as its tools and with its compass 
pointed towards the will of the Basque people.

The democratic process has to overcome all 
situations of denial and violations of rights and 
must respond to the key elements at the heart of 
the political conflict, namely territorial sovereignty and self-determination.

It is the task of the Basque social and political 
actors to reach agreements in order to come to an 
agreed formulation concerning the recognition of 
the Basque Country and of the right to decide, 
ensuring that all political projects, including 
independence, are possible. At the end of the 
process, Basque citizens must have their say and 
a right to decide on their future without any limit or interference.

All parties have to commit themselves to respect 
the agreements reached as well as the decision of 
the Basque people, and to put in place guarantees and mechanisms to this end.

Therefore, ETA has decided to declare 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.

It is time to act with historical responsibility. 
ETA calls upon those governing Spain and France 
to end all repressive measures and to leave aside 
for once and for all their position of denial towards the Basque Country.

ETA will continue its indefatigable struggle and 
efforts to promote and to bring to a conclusion 
the democratic process until there is a truly 
democratic situation in the Basque Country.

Long live the free Basque country! Long live the Socialist Basque country!"
******************************************************************************
Spain's ETA in permanent ceasefire

Basque separatists declare "commitment to lasting 
resolution" in Spain and France, ending over 30 years of bloodshed
10 Jan 2011 11:49 GMT
<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/01/201111011133673299.html>http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/01/201111011133673299.html 


The Basque separatist group ETA has declared a 
permanent ceasefire after more than three decades 
of fighting for a homeland independent of Spain.

The group announced the truce in a statement 
published on the website of the Basque-language newspaper Gara on Monday.

"ETA has decided to declare a permanent and 
general ceasefire which will be verifiable by the 
international community," the group said.

"This is ETA's firm commitment towards a process 
to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation.

"It is time to act with historic responsibility. 
ETA calls upon those governing Spain and France 
to end all repressive measures and to leave aside 
for once and for all their position of denial 
towards the Basque Country," it said.

Scepticsm valid

Guy Hedgecoe, editor of the news website 
Qorreo.com in Madrid, told Al Jazeera the 
announcement is a significant development, but 
that people in Spain are sceptical.

"We have seen ceasefires before, the most recent was in 2006," he said.

"The reason people might be a little cautious 
today despite this announcement is that they'll 
look back to 2006 when ETA announced their 
ceasefire then. They unilaterally ended that one 
by planting a bomb in Madrid-Barajas airport, which killed two people.

"But seeing the fact that they've said this is 
permanent and internationally verifiable by outside observers is encouraging."

Change in strategy

ETA has been fighting for a separate homeland for 
Basque-speaking people in northern Spain and 
southwestern France for more than three decades.

It is considered a terrorist organisation by the 
European Union and the United States. It has 
killed more than 825 people since the late 1960s.

The group had been pressed for a change in 
strategy by some members currently serving prison terms for violent acts.

Hedgecoe told Al Jazeera that Monday's 
announcement was triggered by a great deal of 
pressure on the group to declare a ceasefire in 
recent months, including from its own political wing.

"They've been publicly pressurising ETA to move 
in the direction of a peaceful solution and to end its violent campaign."

The Spanish government has repeatedly said 
progress can be made only when ETA renounces violence for good.
******************************************************************************
ETA anuncia alto el fuego permanente y verificable
Después de 40 años de conflicto, ETA anunció hoy 
un alto el fuego "permanente, general y 
verificable por la comunidad internacional". (AFP)
lunes, 10 de enero de 2011 
<http://www.primerahora.com/etaanunciaaltoelfuegopermanenteyverificable-461311.html>http://www.primerahora.com/etaanunciaaltoelfuegopermanenteyverificable-461311.html
Prensa Asociada

Madrid. El grupo separatista vasco ETA anunció 
hoy un alto el fuego "permanente, general y 
verificable por la comunidad internacional", con 
el que dice abrir una puerta al final de su 
campaña violenta por un País Vasco independiente de España.

En un comunicado remitido al diario vasco Gara, 
que suele actuar de altavoz del entorno de ETA, 
la organización armada dijo que su intención es 
poner fin a "la confrontación armada" que le 
enfrenta con las autoridades españolas.

ETA declaró una tregua unilateral el pasado 5 de 
septiembre y este segundo comunicado se esperaba 
desde hacía semanas, aunque no se conocía su 
contenido. El grupo vasco no mencionó en este 
nuevo documento una posible entrega de las armas ni su disolución definitiva.

El presidente español José Luis Rodríguez 
Zapatero dijo hace dos semanas que el único 
comunicado que espera de ETA es el de su 
disolución definitiva. Zapatero señaló que ya no 
le valen "subterfugios" y que sólo vale el 
"abandono definitivo de la violencia".

ETA también declaró un alto el fuego permanente 
en 2006, pero fue roto en diciembre de aquel 
mismo año con la explosión de un potente coche 
bomba en el aeropuerto de Madrid que costó la 
vida a dos ciudadanos ecuatorianos.

Desde la ruptura de aquella tregua, ETA ha 
asesinado a 12 personas. El último fue un agente 
de policía francés a las afueras de París en julio de 2009.

ETA, considerada una organización terrorista por 
Estados Unidos y la Unión Europea, ha asesinado a 
más de 825 personas desde finales de 1960, en su 
campaña por un País Vasco independiente de España.



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