ETA frustration at failure of Spanish Government to enter peace talks

» Mark Moloney

ETA said the failure to engage in talks 'will have negative consequences as it complicates and delays the resolution process'

BASQUE guerrilla group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) says the refusal by the Spanish and French governments to enter inclusive talks until ETA disbands will delay the peace process aimed at ending the 40-year armed conflict in the region.

ETA called a permanent cessation of military operations in October 2011 but, despite observing a ceasefire verified by the International Verification Committee (IVC), the Spanish and French governments have so far refused to engage in talks until the organisation disarms and disbands.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, ETA said that “negative and obtrusive attitudes” from the two governments meant “the negotiation space has been dismantled”. The armed organisation said the governments' failure to engage in talks “will have negative consequences as it complicates and delays [the] resolution process.”

The group dismissed any form of decommissioning of weapons ahead of negotiations, saying “it hasn't been, and is not, on the agenda of ETA or the IVC” as it was not part of the initial mandate.

The statement went on to praise its fighters for their commitment to the peace process “even if the aggressive attitude of the French and Spanish states has created dangerous situations and added difficulties".

Aaro Sonio, who sat on the International Commission on Decommissioning to deal with weapons in Ireland, said calls for decommissioning ahead of negotiations will not help a resolution process but the opening of negotiations would allow for the possibility of decommissioning at a later date.

ETA also hit out at the right-wing Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). It said the PNV's continued support for the Spanish Government was becoming “more and more difficult to understand”. The group ended its statement by pledging to continue to work for a “definitive solution” to the conflict because the “Basque Country deserves peace and freedom".

ALMOST 1,200 people have been killed in the 40-year-old Basque conflict involving pro-independence groups such as ETA, Spanish state forces and pro-Spanish paramilitaries.

More than 700 political prisoners are currently held in Spanish and French prisons.