Spanish parties disagree over strategy to fight ETA

Jan 8, 2007, 16:11 GMT

Madrid - Spain's two main parties Monday disagreed over the strategy to fight the armed Basque separatist group ETA after the end of a six-month peace process.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero met conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, who complained that the meeting had not clarified what kind of policy the government was planning.

Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said Rajoy had so far turned a 'deaf ear' on Zapatero's offer of a 'permanent dialogue' on Basque terrorism, and urged the opposition leader not to refuse it.

The government was expected to seek the agreement of all the parliamentary parties for basic principles against terrorism.

The relations between the Socialists and Rajoy's People's Party (PP), however, had deteriorated over Zapatero's attempts to launch a peace process with ETA, which the PP interpreted as the government's surrender to terrorists.

Rajoy urged the government to resume an earlier policy based on police crackdowns against ETA. Vega said the 'state of law' was 'strong enough' to win the battle against terrorism.

ETA prompted the government to terminate the peace process by planting a car bomb at Madrid airport on December 30. ETA's first fatal attack in three years, which broke its nine-month ceasefire, killed two people.

People all over Spain meanwhile held silent rallies to protest the Madrid bombing, with citizens, politicians and others gathering in front of city halls, at places of work, party headquarters, institutions, ministries and courts.

A rally was also staged at Madrid airport, where the attack had occurred in a parking lot.

Madrid cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela celebrated a funeral mass for the two Ecuadorian immigrants who were killed in the attack.

The Basque separatist party Batasuna called on ETA to maintain the ceasefire.

The group should 'keep intact the engagements and aims' it announced in its ceasefire communique on March 22, Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi said in the Basque coastal city of San Sebastian.

Batasuna, widely regarded as ETA's political wing, is believed to remain favourable to the peace process despite ETA's apparent decision to end it.

ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths since 1968. It has been listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.