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Basque Terror Group ETA Declares Ceasefire

The Basque separatist group ETA declared a permanent ceasefire this week that was greeted with skepticism by some, joy by others. The group has been blamed for killing over 800 people during a forty-year campaign for independence of the Basque region, located in northern Spain and southwest France. In a statement to Basque media, the group said its objective will be "to start a new democratic process in the Basque country."

The announcement was made by three masked men wearing Basque berets, sitting behind a desk. The statement read, "At the end of this process, Basque citizens will be able to have a voice and the power to decide their future. Ending the conflict, here and now, is possible. This is the desire and the will of ETA." Many believe the separatist group was inclined to give up violence by the loss of any tolerance on the part of Spaniards for political violence after the train bombings of March 2004 in Madrid that killed dozens.

The group said the ceasefire will start Friday, March 24. Spain?s deputy Prime Minister, Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, says this comes as good news but warns there should be more caution now than ever. Not everyone is taking the news optimistically. Spain?s Association of Victims of Terrorism calls the declaration "a trick" designed "by the murderers to achieve their political objectives".