Spanish govt rejects call for ETA talks

The Spanish government has rejected a request for talks from the Basque separatist group ETA.

The organisation called a permanent ceasefire to its 40-year campaign of shooting and bombing seven months ago, and announced that it wanted to engage in "direct dialogue" with both France and Spain.

An independent monitoring commission last week verified that the ceasefire was being met.

However Spain's Interior Minister says his country will "never" negotiate with the group.