ETA plans total end to violence

Madrid - The Basque separatist group, ETA, plans to announce a definitive ceasefire in May but will refuse to hand over its weapons…

Madrid - The Basque separatist group, ETA, plans to announce a definitive ceasefire in May but will refuse to hand over its weapons, a Spanish television station reported yesterday.

Telecinco cited sources close to the Basque separatist movement as saying that ETA, which declared an indefinite truce last September, was ready to put a permanent end to it 30year armed struggle for independence.

In Bilbao the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, congratulated Basque leaders. "I'm glad the violence has stopped because it is no solution to problems," he told an academic conference.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter