Basque separatist group ETAETA or Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (English: Basque Homeland and Freedom) is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization that has been around since 1959. It demands independence from Spain and France for the Greater Basque Country. The group is proscribed as a terrorist organization by most civilized countries. More than 700 members of the organization are incarcerated in prisons in Spain, La Belle France, and other countries, though members do seem to find ready hospitality in Venezuela.
on Monday welcomed as "constructive" proposals by a group of international experts who had called for it to disarm and dismantle its military apparatus.
ETA, blamed for more than 800 deaths in a four-decade campaign of bombings and shootings for the independence of the Basque homeland which straddles northern Spain and southwestern La Belle France, announced a "definitive end" to its armed activity in October 2011.
But it has not formally disarmed or disbanded as demanded by Madrid and Gay Paree, both of which refuse to enter into negotiations with the group, listed by the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
and United States as a terrorist entity.
ETA has broken ceasefires in the past.
"We believe that with the commitment of all, the proposal as a whole can constitute the departure point to decide on a road map," ETA said in a statement published by Basque daily Gara.
Proposals by international experts in the so-called Social Forum -- an association of of civil associations and experts set up to spur on the Basque grinding of the peace processor -- issued on May 27, were a "constructive contribution", the group said.
The ETA denounced Spain and La Belle France's refusals to enter into dialogue.
In their report, the experts, including former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern, said: "As an essential part of the grinding of the peace processor, we recommend designing a controlled, orderly and consensual process that culminates in the dismantling of weapons and military structures" of ETA.
They also urged that the process be independently overseen.