Madrid - The Spanish government yesterday promised to continue its crackdown on the Basque separatist group ETA despite its ceasefire. The unilateral truce took effect just after midnight yesterday, marking what state radio called an "historic moment" in Spanish history.
But the Interior Minister, Mr Jaime Mayor Oreja, said the government had no intention of scaling back police efforts. "It is obvious the government cannot declare a truce with a terrorist organisation," he added. Doubts over ETA's sincerity were echoed in the first public opinion poll on the ceasefire, which showed that 40 per cent of Spaniards think it is merely a trick, according to Diario 16.
But Basque politicians welcomed ETA's initiative, and a mood of optimism swept the region on the first day of the ceasefire. A moderate nationalist minister in the Basque autonomous government appealed for international mediation to resolve the conflict.
An early test for the truce will be whether young ETA supporters take to the streets this weekend in their usual "street struggle", which involves vandalism and running battles with police.
