Officially yes but I'm curious about what deal was made, strange timing as the elections are coming.

Could be just a coincidence, but it seems they've found a sizeable amount of gas they can extract in the Basque Country

http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain...e-yearshttp://

Yes I was wondering if there was a link to this. The gas find is huge apparently - and announced just a few days ago..

Politicians of all sides are saying no deal has been done with ETA.

Good news whatever the case

The question is will this be a genuine end?

Who knows? In the announcement there was no mention of the breaking up of ETA, nor anything about surrendering their arms. Doesn't sound very convincing without handing over their arms, lots of Spanish are referring to it as a "trampa", a trap. They don't seem very convinced.

Don't fool yourselves, ETA always announces an alt before general elections or when their top men have been detained or their stupid puppies are not ready to play with bombs. Now with this insulting "peace conference"... they simply want international recognition of a problem that they themselves have created by kidnapping, killing and oppressing people without reason in democracy. The only oppression in the Vasque Country goes to people who are not etarras (actively or by voting for them).

I lived there in the early 80's, the worst time there, and I can tell you first hand who the "oppressed" have been. You would not see Spanish soldiers armed as they would in a war, nor tanks or heavy army vehicles in the streets. They have their own government, police, competence in education... The only demonstrations came from people behind an ikurriña, constant violence in the streets, bombs... imagine the scenes from the London riots every single day, add indiscriminate bombs, kidnappings, torture and killings with bullets in heads. Vasque language was already taught in the schools, along with culture. In the ikastolas they have been teaching the ideas of a crazy guy called Sabino Arana who defends that the vasque people have a different "raza" and promotes a Nazi system.

You could see the difference and who the real oppressed are if you simply go there and hang a Spanish flag from your balcony with a "viva España" on it. I don't give you another day, your body will be found disfigured and with a bullet in your head the following day. Compare that with hanging an ikurriña and a "gora Euzkadi". That's what your stupidly well paid Blair and the even more stupid Annan should have done before receiving money to participate in that repulsive show.

The fact that they talk of "armed conflict" and don't mention "terrorism" means they got very well paid indeed. What about the victims, and I mean the REAL ones?

You really are angry with the Basques, aren't you.

I strongly object to your rantings about the Ikastolas. They certainly do not teach about promoting Nazism or other stupid things you claim they do. In Spanish schools history is taught, which includes Fascism, Nazism & all the other isms but that doesn't mean they are supporting any of it.

Of course terrorism is wicked & should be punished. ETA need to hand over their weapons if people are going to believe them. They are a spent force.
However, sooner or later the government will have to talk to people here instead of simply imprisoning them.
At least Blair, for all his failings, brought a certain peace to Northern Ireland.

What you do not seem to realise is that Basques are different. Their language & culture was faced with extinction under Franco. What else did you expect them to do??
Most Basques do not support ETA & are deeply sorry for the killings. The victims need to be confronted by their killers. Until this happens, there will be too many bitter unforgiving memories.

What is needed here in Euzkadi is something akin to what Mandela achieved in South Africa; and don't forget that he too was a "terrorist" in his early years.

So please, all I would ask for is less emotional ranting & raving. I am not Basque, so can (hopefully) be objective. Faults lie on both sides (ETA, GAL), but the country needs to move on.

Hey, gotta demand they hand over their arms, eh? You want to put as many stumbling blocks in the way of peace as possible, especially if you want peace on your terms.

Now this post is by someone obviously rational. Be warned, a lot of people out there don't like rational sensible posts.

They are usually the ones screaming that the other side must hand over their weapons, strip naked and do a silly dance before being allowed to speak.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. The important thing is to get terrorists to start talking, because hopefully while they are busy talking they won't be shooting, and if they talk long enough, they might even decide that it's a better mechanism than shooting for getting what they want.

Blair, god rot him, did at least get the talking going, even if it was someone else's idea, and if he did sulk that Mo Mowlam was doing so well.

I'm perfectly willing to be corrected on this, but was there ever a terrorist movement in any country with a democratic government that allowed all stripes of opinion to speak?

Is it as I think, that you only get terrorism where people are denied a voice and a part in the democratic process?

I agree Mo Mowlam did a geat deal to help and the role John Major played also helped enormously.

Both the Spanish and British government were the ones that created ETA and the IRA.

Had the people of N Ireland and the Basque region been given proper democratic representation, I truly don't believe that either terror group would have been formed.