ETA claims "ceasefire" is not a sign of defeat

Apr 16, 2011, 11:03 GMT

San Sebastian, Spain - The Basque separatist group ETA is far from defeated, the underground organization claimed Saturday in the separatist newspaper Gara in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian.

'Some have tried to sell the illusion of a police victory,' said the report.

The reason for the 'permanent ceasefire' called in January, the report said, was not due to the weakness of the organization, or due to pressure from other Basque groups to end violence, but through ETA own declared aims to find a democratic solution to the Basque conflict.

'ETA has the clear willingness to overcome a historical cycle that has been characterized by armed confrontation,' the report said, adding that the Spanish state seemed unwilling to enter into this process.

Spain's government and the police have speculated that ETA is using its 'ceasefire' to reorganize itself. On Tuesday anti-terrorism investigators uncovered about 1.6 tonnes of explosive material, the largest stockpile of ETA explosives found in the history of the conflict.

ETA is thought to be both militarily and politically weakened, with other separatist groups distancing themselves from the organization and calling since last year for an end to armed conflict. The Spanish government however has not ruled out such calls are a mere manoeuvre by extremists to participate in May 22 local and regional elections.

ETA, which has been fighting for an independent Basque state, is considered by the European Union and the United States as a terrorist organization. More than 800 people have been killed in ETA attacks since 1968.

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