西班牙巴斯克分离主义武装组织埃塔宣布永久、可核实的停火。该组织在西班牙北部以及法国西南部为建立一个独立家园战斗了40年。
埃塔星期一在报纸和电视上发表声明说，停火声明是它“实现持久解决方案进程，结束武装冲突的坚定承诺”。声明没有提及马德里政府以前提出的要求它解散或是交出武器的问题。
西班牙首相萨帕特罗还没有对埃塔的声明做出反应。萨帕特罗多次表示，在埃塔成员交出武器之前，他的政府不会同它进行谈判。
埃塔9月份曾经表示，愿意使其最新单方面停火永久化，并表示可能做出更多让步。萨帕特罗政府对这一宣布斥之以鼻，称它只不过是该组织在经历数月挫折后争取时间，重新整合、重新武装的分离主义伎俩。
埃塔上一次宣布实行永久停火是在2006年3月。但9个月后，该组织声称对在马德里巴拉哈斯机场导致两人死亡的一起汽车爆炸事件负责。埃塔称，这起爆炸是因对同马德里进行和谈缺乏进展感到沮丧有关。
这个反叛团体在寻求独立的过程中导致830人死亡。美国和欧盟都把埃塔划定为恐怖组织。
The armed Basque separatist group ETA has declared a permanent, verifiable cease-fire in its four-decade fight for an independent homeland in northern Spain and southwestern France.
ETA, in published and televised statements Monday, said the declaration is its "firm commitment toward a process to achieve a lasting resolution and toward an end to the armed confrontation." The declaration made no mention of ETA disbanding or surrendering its weapons as previously demanded by the Madrid government.
There was no immediate response from Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has repeatedly said his government will not negotiate with ETA until its members surrender their weaponry.
ETA said in September it was ready to make its latest unilateral truce permanent, and said further concessions were possible. The Zapatero government scoffed at that announcement, calling it a separatist gambit to buy time, regroup and rearm after months of setbacks.
ETA last announced a permanent cease-fire in March 2006. But nine months later, the group claimed responsibility for a car bomb that killed two people at Madrid's Barajas airport. ETA linked that bombing to frustration over a lack of progress in peace talks with Madrid.
The rebel group is blamed for 830 deaths in its independence campaign. The United States and the European Union classify ETA as a terrorist organization.
