EU leaders welcome Eta cease-fire

European Union leaders today welcomed the announcement of a cease-fire by the Basque separatist group Eta, but did not immediately indicate if the group might be removed from the EU’s terrorist blacklist.

“We regard this as a very positive sign,” said Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, who opened a two-day summit. Schuessel told reporters the leaders would discuss the cease-fire and would be briefed by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.