Spain to outlaw Basque separatist party

Spain was today poised to ban the Basque separatist party Batasuna, widely seen as the political wing of the terrorist group Eta.

Eta’s armed struggle for an independent homeland in northern Spain and southwest France has killed more than 800 people, many of them police officers and politicians.

They have also this year launched a series of attacks on resorts popular with foreign tourists, including thousands of Irish people.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was outraged after Batasuna refused to condemn an August 4 Eta car bombing in the small resort of Santa Pola which killed a six-year-old local girl and a 57-year-old man.

He recalled parliament from its summer break to vote on whether Batasuna is acting illegally after a law was passed two months ago banning parties that support terrorism.

And today, senior Judge Baltasar Garzon is due to announce a five year ban on Batasuna’s political structure after winning support from the public prosecutor.

Meanwhile, MPs will also discuss a lawsuit to be presented to the Supreme Court on Friday which will call for a total ban on the party.

Batasuna has denied any links to Eta and has described the expected ban as “an offensive against the Basque people”.

Defiant Batasuna leaders have called on their supporters to take to the streets in protest and Eta has made threats against politicians who vote to make Batasuna illegal.

Despite the warnings from Batasuna spokesmen, Aznar was defiant.

“As of Monday the countdown begins for the political arm of terror,” he said over the weekend.

“They will not have a moment, not a second of peace, from the government, from the forces of political democracy or from the judiciary.”

Public prosecutor Jesus Santos has said Batasuna should be suspended while Garzon investigates whether it is part of Eta’s network.

Garzon has given lawyers until noon (1100 Irish time) on Monday to present their arguments against the suspension.

Some reports said the legal arguments were unlikely to change attitudes in Madrid, and that Basque regional authorities were expected to send police to close Batasuna offices later today.