In This Article
Subscribe to International UpdatesETA Ends Ceasefire With Spanish Government
June 11, 2007 11:53 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The Basque separatist group ETA has declared an end to its 15-month ceasefire with the Spanish government, extinguishing hopes of a peaceful end to the conflict that’s claimed over 800 lives.
30 Second Summary
Spain is bracing itself for a violent summer following ETA’s pledge to resume its terrorist campaign for Basque independence.
The announcement ends a 15-month ceasefire viewed by many as the only viable path to peace between the Spanish government and the terrorist group.
ETA blames the government for the ceasefire’s breakdown, citing its refusal to allow the group’s banned political arm, called Batasuna, to take part in recent local elections. Although permitting the group to participate may have salvaged the peace process, the elections came at a pivotal time for Prime Minister Zapatero, allowing him the opportunity to publicly counter claims that his policies on ETA have been too yielding.
ETA, which stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or "Basque Homeland and Freedom," is a terrorist organization committed to the formation of an independent Basque nation.
Although it began in 1959 as a student group opposed to the oppressive regime of General Franco, since the 1970s ETA has waged a violent guerilla campaign that’s taken the lives of over 800 people.
Despite ETA’s aims, the group is only marginally supported by the people of the Basque country. The Basques are thought to be direct descendants of the Paleolithic age inhabitants of Western Europe, and have endured centuries of oppression from French and Spanish governments alike.
The announcement ends a 15-month ceasefire viewed by many as the only viable path to peace between the Spanish government and the terrorist group.
ETA blames the government for the ceasefire’s breakdown, citing its refusal to allow the group’s banned political arm, called Batasuna, to take part in recent local elections. Although permitting the group to participate may have salvaged the peace process, the elections came at a pivotal time for Prime Minister Zapatero, allowing him the opportunity to publicly counter claims that his policies on ETA have been too yielding.
ETA, which stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or "Basque Homeland and Freedom," is a terrorist organization committed to the formation of an independent Basque nation.
Although it began in 1959 as a student group opposed to the oppressive regime of General Franco, since the 1970s ETA has waged a violent guerilla campaign that’s taken the lives of over 800 people.
Despite ETA’s aims, the group is only marginally supported by the people of the Basque country. The Basques are thought to be direct descendants of the Paleolithic age inhabitants of Western Europe, and have endured centuries of oppression from French and Spanish governments alike.
Headline
ETA’s decision to end its 15-month ceasefire with the Spanish government has dashed hopes of a peaceful resolution to the nearly 40-year-long conflict. ETA’s renewed campaign comes right before Spain’s tourist season, raising fears that the group may target resorts or the America’s Cup yacht race.
Source: The Independent
Background
ETA’s decision to terminate its ceasefire comes only ten days after its political branch, Batasuna, was barred from entering local elections. The group asserts that Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s refusal to allow Batasuna to rename itself and take part in the elections is the main catalyst for ETA’s renewed commitment to violence.
Source: The Guardian
In March, Prime Minister Zapatero decided to transfer ETA member Iñaki de Juana Chaos to the Basque country to finish his jail sentence under house arrest. De Juana Chaos had been on a 115-day hunger strike in protest of a recent extension to his jail sentence. The move sparked protests from citizens and political opponents alike.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Hundreds of thousands of angry protesters gathered in Madrid on Saturday March 10, 2007 to challenge De Juan Chaos’s transfer and what they call the Spanish government’s “surrender” to terrorism.
Source: Reuters
Iñaki de Juana Chaos began his hunger strike in November 2006, after being convicted of “inciting terrorism” while in prison. The conviction added another 12 years and 7 months to his sentence, and came just before he was due for parole after serving time for his part in the murder of 25 people.
Source: The Times of London
ETA broke a nine month long cease-fire on December 30, 2006 when it bombed a parking garage at Madrid’s Barajas international airport. Two people were killed in the blast.
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle
In March of 2006, ETA announced it would institute a permanent cease-fire after nearly 40 years of armed conflict. The BBC has made the full text of the cease-fire statement available on its Web site.
Source: The BBC
Reactions
The Spanish government quickly responded to the declaration by removing Iñaki de Juana Chaos from a hospital in the Basque country, where he was recuperating from a 115-day hunger strike, and returning him to a Madrid jail. Terrorist attacks seem all but certain, as the Police report that during the ceasefire ETA rearmed and refined its bomb-making techniques.
Source: The Guardian
In response to ETA’s announcement, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero called on all of Spain’s political groups to stand united in “defense of democratic values, [and] the strict application of the Law.”
Source: El Sur (english version)
According to BBC writer Danny Wood, the “sense of cautious optimism” that accompanied the establishment of the now defunct ceasefire has disappeared, and it “is very unlikely that in the near future a Spanish government will be prepared to engage Eta in a peace process.”
Source: The BBC
Historical Context
The Basque separatists group ETA, “Basque Homeland and Freedom” (Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna), has waged a violent guerilla campaign for independence since the 1970s. The group started as a student resistance movement opposed to General Franco and his culturally repressive policies.
Source: The BBC
ETA’s attacks have claimed the lives of more than 800 people. The group committed its first murder in 1968, killing the chief of secret police in the Basque city of San Sebastian, Meliton Manzanas.
Source: The Guardian
On March 11, 2004, a coordinated series of train bombings in Madrid, Spain killed 191 people and injured 1,824 more. Although initially the Spanish government suspected ETA was responsible for the attack, an Al-Qaida group eventually took credit for the bombing.
Source: CNN
The Madrid bombings came only three days before Spain’s national elections, and because Al-Qaida took responsibility for them, the attacks were perceived as retaliation for the country’s involvement in the Iraq war. As a result, voters ousted the Pro-American Popular Party government in favor of Jose Zapatero and the Socialist Workers’ Party.
Source: PBS Newshour
The Basque province lies between the Adouritz River in southwestern France and the Nervion River in northeastern Spain, occupying an area roughly the size of New Jersey. Thought to be direct ancestors of the Paleolithic inhabitants of Western Europe, the Basque people share a unique language and culture that has endured oppression by both the French and Spanish governments.
Source: Answers.com
Reference Material
The Basque Country is located in the western part of the Pyrenees Mountains, straddling the border of France and Spain. The World Atlas of Microsoft Encarta offers a map.
Source: MSN Encarta
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was born on August 4th 1960. Zapatero joined the Socialist Workers’ Party in 1979. Read about Zapatero’s rise to power in this biography.
Source: Euroresidentes.com
The Socialist Workers’ party is Spain’s oldest political party, founded in 1879 by a Madrid typesetter named Pablo Iglesias. The Encyclopedia Britannica provides this history of Prime Minister Zapatero’s party.
Source: The Encyclopedia Britannica
The Popular Party was founded in October of 1976 as the confluence of seven older parties. As the Popular Party gears up for the approaching Spanish elections, its Web site provides a history of the party and its members.
Source: The official Web site of the Popular Party (Partido Popular)
Although the Basque Country is asking for independence from Spain, it currently has its own autonomous government.
Source: The Basque government's official Web site
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