BASQUE separatist group Eta, whose campaign has claimed over 800 lives in 40 years, has announced a definite end to its armed activities.
In a statement to the BBC, Eta said it was time to look to the future with hope and to act with responsibility and valour.
The group called on Spain and France’s governments to open a process of “direct dialogue” in order to resolve the conflict.
The declaration comes days after a joint call from international delegates, including ex-United Nations chief Kofi Annan, for Eta to give up its arms at a conference in San Sebastian.
Spanish PM Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called the move a “victory”, adding that the 821 victims would never be forgotten.
