MADRID - Batasuna, a Basque political party banned for its links to ETA, called on the armed separatists to return to a nine-month ceasefire on Monday, nine days after a powerful ETA bomb killed two people at Madrid airport.Batasuna is considered to be ETAÂ’s political wing, although there is no formal link, and MondayÂ’s comments added to evidence of what appeared to be a break in communication between the two.
‘We want to call on ETA to keep to the commitments and objectives it set in its statement of March 22 (when it declared a ‘permanent ceasefire’),’ Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi told reporters in the Basque city of San Sebastian.
ETA has not officially claimed responsibility for the bomb which wrecked a car park at Barajas International airport on Dec. 30, but one of the warning calls was made in its name. ETA has not made any statement breaking the ceasefire, as it has done with other truces, and in recent days other Batasuna officials have expressed surprise at the attack and have said the party ‘deeply regrets’ that people died.
Media and analysts have speculated the car bomb may have been planted by a splinter group.
Batasuna has distanced itself from ETAÂ’s attacks but has stopped short of condemning its violence, a prerequisite for the party to be made legal and take part in elections again.