The end of ETA?

20 Oct. 2011

The awaited announcement from ETA appeared today in a Basque newspaper called Gara. In this letter, ETA said that it would be definitively cease its armed activities. What is more interesting about this letter is what ETA doesn't say. ETA doesn't say that they will dissolve their organization, and ETA doesn't say that they will give up their arms.

Over the last couple days, I've been following this story in various Spanish newspapers, and the reactions are mixed.

The current president, Zapatero, has taken an optimistic view--calling this the end of ETA. In a statement, Zapatero called the announcement a "victory for Democracy" and a "definitive triumph without conditions."

However, the problem with this announcement is that it puts the Spanish government in a tough situation. A Catch-22. With ETA making the announcement that they are willing to stop armed activity, the Spanish government has to be seen as making the effort to forge a peace agreement.

However, in negotiating with ETA, it will be more difficult to see this organization dissolved in the future--especially if negotiations do not go the way ETA would like. Furthermore, the government is giving ETA exactly what they have always wanted--a voice, political power, and in a sense, legitimacy.