Go-between upbeat over Eta ceasefire
Go-between upbeat over Eta ceasefire
Also In The News
|
West Brom held on for a 0-0 draw with Bolton at the Hawthorns to grab a vital point and close the gap on Portsmouth to three. |
Tuesday, 18, Apr 2006 03:47
A go-between between the Spanish government and Eta has expressed optimism that the banned Basque separatist group will commit to its ceasefire for the long term.
Speaking in the Basque region yesterday, Alec Reid, a priest in Northern Ireland, said he was convinced Eta's permanent ceasefire was not another insincere political gambit.
Father Reid said Eta was prepared to "lay down weapons", unlike in 1998, when the ceasefire expired after 439 days.
He urged leaders to rethink the group's outlaw status and for a committee to be set up by September to oversee the peace process.
He anticipated a final deal possibly emerging as early as March 2008 after Eta announced a ceasefire on March 22nd.
But Father Reid said Eta was unwilling to participate in resolution talks as it believed only political parties should take part in it.
Batasuna, the Basque separatist party banned in 2003 because of its links to Eta, argues talks over a political settlement should be made separate from those between Eta and the Spanish government.