ETA calls for international mediation to help solve conflict

The armed Basque group ETA says it is willing to accept international mediation to help solve its long-running conflict with the Spanish government.

Two weeks after it announced a cease-fire, the group said in a statement it is willing to "jointly explore" with overseas mediators the steps required for a democratic process, "including commitments to be taken by ETA."

The statement was published by Basque newspapers Gara and Berria on Sunday.

"Faced with the stubbornness of France and Spain, Eta has decided again to launch the boat of opportunity for the democratic resolution of the conflict. And it has taken the first decision without throwing anchor, ready to navigate in deeper waters," the group says in the statement published two weeks after the announcement of the decision to no longer employ offensive armed actions.

"Six months have passed since the Brussels Declaration of March (...). As everybody knows, during these six months, ETA has not carried out armed actions. By then, ETA had already ordered their operative groups to stop all the actions", the statement says.

According to Gara and Berria, ETA says it us ready to take all the necessary steps and reiterates its call to the international community to take part in the process in order to produce a "permanent, just and democratic resolution to this age-old conflict", althought it accepts the "key to the solution lays in the Basque Country".

Second statement in 2 weeks

ETA announced on Sept. 5 it had decided not to carry out armed attacks, but the government rejected the declaration as inadequate and urged the organization to renounce violence for good.

However, it was not clear whether the new truce offer is permanent or whether ETA wass signalling it was ready for peace talks with the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.