Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams are travelling to the Basque country today to take part in an international initiative aimed at assisting a resolution of the conflict there.
The conference in San Sebastian, which has been organised by a number of peace groups, will also be attended by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan; Tony Blair's former chief of staff Jonathan Powell; former French defence minister Pierre Joxe; former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland; and others.
Mr Adams said the initiative was the consequence of considerable behind the scenes efforts by Sinn Féin and others, and he expressed hope that it would lead to significant progress in resolution of the conflict.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/e23497a4-11b8-483c-94f7-2871a9e21dab.png)