Spanish PM Suspends Dialogue With ETA
By vnpk89
@vnpk89 (39)
Vietnam
December 31, 2006 11:44am CST
Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has ordered a suspension of dialogue with the armed Basque separatist group, ETA, after a car bombing at Madrid's international airport.
ETA claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack that wounded at least 19 people.
Mr. Zapatero condemned the bombing and told reporters he has decided to suspend all negotiations with the separatist group.
Firefighters work at the scene after a car bomb exploded in a parking lot at Madrid's new airport terminal, 30 Dec 2006
Firefighters work at the scene after a car bomb exploded in a parking lot at Madrid's new airport terminal, 30 Dec 2006
Spain's interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba also condemned the attack, saying the bombing violates a ceasefire that ETA declared in March. The Spanish government has said there can be no progress in talks with the separatists until the violence completely stops.
Basque leader Arnaldo Otegi, who represents the political wing of ETA, says the peace process is not broken from the group's point of view.
ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths since 1968, when it began an armed campaign for creation of an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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