Spanish premier confident end to Basque violence will come

Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today said he remained confident that progress will be made in 2006 toward ending attacks by the Basque separatist group Eta.

“My expectations remain intact,” Zapatero told a breakfast meeting of business representatives, politicians and journalists.

“And I’ll add that 2006, in this long and difficult process, will be a better one than 2005.”

Eta, whose name is a Basque-language acronym for Basque Homeland and Freedom, has claimed responsibility for more than 800 deaths since the late 1960s as part of its drive for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and south-west France.

However, its last fatal attack was in May 2003, leading to increasing speculation over the past year that it may call a cease-fire.

Zapatero has repeatedly said he believes the end of Eta is in sight and in May of this year offered talks if Eta renounced violence.

The government says the group has been decimated by arrests in Spain and France over the past two years.

In recent months Eta has limited its actions to dozens of small bomb explosions, mainly targeting businesses and stores, causing minor injuries and damage but no deaths.