Mian Shakeel Aslam--- The Basque separatist group ETA on Thursday announced a "permanent cessation of armed activity" in a statement posted on the website of Gara, a newspaper group that is used to transmit messages in the past.
Listed as a terrorist organization by Spain, the United States and the European Union, ETA was to blame for hundreds of deaths in its decades-long struggle for an independent Basque state carved sections he wanted to northern Spain and south-west France. Thursday's announcement follows a recent campaign for the group to leave the violence for good. That effort is led by international figures including the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in Northern Ireland and the former Secretary General Kofi Annan. In a televised speech hours after the announcement was published, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called ETA's announcement of "paramount importance" and a "victory for democracy." "Ours is a democracy not terrorism, but not memory," Zapatero said, referring to the 829 people killed by ETA and their families.The Prime Minister praised the Spanish police, the Civil Guard personnel, the intelligence agencies and the judicial authorities "that contributed to the end." Zapatero also said in France - which has traditionally been used as a base ETA back - and the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, for his help. The Prime Minister said would be until the next government of Spain - which formed after the parliamentary elections on November 20 - led peace process. Zapatero, whose popular standing has deteriorated amidst the deepening economic crisis in Spain, not running for a third term. Shortly after being first elected in 2004, police intensified its crackdown on ETA, as the popularity of the group in some sectors of Basque society began to diminish. In its own statement Thursday, ETA called for "utmost importance", a one-day meeting held on Monday in which Adams, Annan and other leaders gathered in San Sebastian, a major Basque cities, and called for in peace. After the conference - which included no representatives of the Spanish government, the Basque government and the main opposition party in Spain, the Popular Party - Former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, read a statement calling for ETA to issue a statements like what he was on Thursday. The leaders also called on the Spanish and French governments to welcome and "agreed in talks exclusively to deal with the consequences of combat." Police cracked down in recent years about ETA in Spain and France, leaving operationally weak. There have been many statements of the Basque group called for talks or a peace process of some kind, but all fall short of declaring a permanent cessation of violence. The Spanish government said that since ETA broke a cease-fire in the past, only an official statement that putting weapons will always do. In his statement Thursday, the group suggests why now is the right time to make that statement. "An emerging new political time in the Basque Country," ETA said. "We have a historic opportunity to find a just and democratic political conflict centuries old." The group added that "dialogue and agreement" should prevail "over the violence and repression." ETA urged the Spanish and French governments to implement a "direct dialogue" to address outstanding issues, while the basques call on colleagues to commit to this process. Speaking on Thursday night that their party headquarters in Madrid, the two main contenders to replace Zapatero welcomed the development, but not detail what he will do next if it were to become prime minister. Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, the Socialist Party candidate Zapatero, who until recently as Minister of Interior of Spain led the fight against ETA, said the announcement "is placed at one end to decades of broken lives." He called for unity in the Spanish political parties and leaders of the "key to success," and urged that it continue unified position. "Today, ETA is not the enemy, because the rule of law have won," says Rubalcaba.
Posted BY: Mian Shakeel Aslam
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/world/europe/spain-eta/index.html?hpt=T2
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