Spain opposition demands ETA's dissolution before peace talks

Spain's largest opposition, the Popular Party (PP), said on Thursday that it was prepared to support peace talks with the armed Basque separatist group ETA as long as the rebels completely dissolved their organization first.

It was unacceptable either to negotiate with ETA or legalize its political wing -- the Batasuna Party, the opposition party leader Mariano Rajoy told media.

But Spain's ruling Socialist party said that ETA was keeping its March 24 ceasefire promise even though it continued to have arms.

PP considers ETA -- the initials in the Basque language Euskadi mean Basque Homeland and freedom -- a terrorist organization, which is estimated to have killed 850 people in bombings and shootings since it rose up against the Spanish government in 1968.

Rajoy said the PP and Spain's other opposition parties wanted ETA to be disarmed irrevocably.

Rajoy made his announcement immediately after the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced that his government would launch peace talks with ETA.

Source: Xinhua