ETA COMMUNIQUE ANNOUNCING INDEFINITE TRUCE This is an official translation of the ETA communique provided by Xaki

By means of this communique, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna wants to let the the Basque people know about our analysis of the situation and historical moment in our country and the decision we have taken accordingly.

After twenty long years, once again, we have a good chance to take a decisive step in our way towards independence. We firmly believe we now have the same opportunity we had twenty years ago, in the so-called period of "transition", in such difficult period. But now, our job must be to turn this political stage into the stage of sovereignty. The chance we lost at that time must become true today.

ETA enters into this new stage in a spirit of hope. Hopeful, above all, because we think the mistakes committed in the past will be a good lesson today; hopeful, because we believe the work, experiences and strength gathered for all these years are enough guarantee for this new political stage to succeed.

However, we should not be blinded by this new chance and generated expectations. We should not close our eyes to the alarming situation in the Basque Country. Whichever way one looks at it, the situation in our country is deeply worrying. The two States have always used all their instruments -military, political, economic and cultural- to destroy this nation's resources to be free in the future. As a result of that tenacious initiative of Spain and France, our people have been seriously injured. It will not be easy for us to set free. It is obvious that there is not the slightest movement on the part of the two repressive states. They consider us their enemies instead of neighbours and prefer to oppress this nation rather than to respect the voice of Basque people in a peaceful way.

Regardless of the attacks and problems, and led by the determination to fight and survive, the Basque Country is now on the threshold of the XXIth century. We are not actually a free country, but we have an extraordinary opportunity to be free in the future. By now, everybody knows we are able to stick to our claims and fight for them. Let's now prove we are able to have our rights, wishes and capacity to organise our home as we want.

Before we go further, we would like to put forward two important questions and to answer them. On the one hand, how can the Basque Country be on the threshold of the XXIth century with the chance to become a free country?. And on the other, why is not the Basque Country still free almost in the year 2000?

The first question has an easy answer. Easy and even honourable. We are at the beginning of a new era of freedom thanks to old Basque people's determined struggle and chiefly, thanks to the generous work of thousands of brave men and women for the last twenty years.

Their dedication and commitment remain alive in the hearts and minds of the members of the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna organisation. We would not be entering into this new situation without the work of those comrades and citizens who died as a result of the enemies' military attacks; without the suffering of those comrades and citizens who are tortured and constanly humiliated in police stations and quarters, both in Spain and France; without the endeavours of those comrades and citizens who have always rejected foreign Spanish and French laws in force and had carried out a silent, dangerous and committed daily work in favour of our culture, language, financial networks and social customs; without the resistant strength of those humble comrades and citizens who have been and still are lighting the Basques' way towards freedom from prison cells, full of dignity regardless of the thousands of year prison sentences behind them.

We would like to pay our warmest homage to all those people now, because it is thanks to them that we can experience a hopeful and historical moment at present. We have to thank them for the fact that hey have never stopped striving to open all the locks in the huge doors closing our way to freedom. If they had not made a lifetime commitment, the Basque Country would have a tough job on!

The second question, on the contrary, demands a bittersweet answer. In such important moments, it is essential that we evaluate what each one has done. We should thus take into account not only what we have advanced in all these years, but what we could in fact have advanced. The formula proposed by the Basque Nationalist Left twenty years ago, that is, deepening Basque democracy, was not shared by others. Therefore, the Basque nationalists' world split in two: one, those who accepted the law imposed by Spain on us without resistance; two, those who deemed it necessary to break links with Spain and believed that it was legitimate for a Nation to use all means at hand to face imposition and to defend itself.

The first view, supporting the constitutional autonomous system, furthered internal division of a Basque Country just coming out of Franco's dictatorship. In addition to the partition imposed by the two States, then we had a new autonomous division. This first view got the Basque Country "closer to Spain and France", and condemned us to live completely dependent on Madrid and Paris. Instead of taking decisions by our own, we have been compelled to ask permision to foreigners, and to fill the coward pro-Spanish living in our country with pride. The supporters of the autonomous system strengthened domestic frontiers, promoted clashes among Basque people, and pushed some people -for instance the Basque autonomous policemen or sepoys- to accept and defend Spanish law against other citizens' wishes.

Those who made the second choice, regardless of our lack of resources and mistakes, have maintained the project of a united free Basque nation. Confident in our people's capacity to work and create, we have focused on overcoming institutional and statutory divisions, and on bringing peace on the basis of justice and democratic rights for our Country. Thus, our endeavours to shape a Basque social project have seen many gains. The first one, we have succeeded in showing the blindness and futility of the dividing autonomous system. And this is not little, taking into account the tremendous efforts of Spain to make this autonomous system become tomb for the Basque Country.

Those who enthusiastically and honestly backed the dividing autonomous system at the outset are now becoming aware of the fact that nothing was moving, up or down, in the steps of autonomy, and that in fact those steps were not taking the Basque Country towards freedom. As far as the supporters of independence are concerned, we are ready to forget the recent past and to walk together with these people in a new hopeful project.

Why do we have a new extraordinary opportunity?

As we have already mentioned, the Basque Country is on the threshold of its future. Is it only our aim to believe that we are entering into a "new" situation? Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, after examining the main changes of this situation in deep, presents the assessment upon which its decision is based:

On the one hand, thanks to some Basque people's non-stopped fight, there are new sections of people who now support the option of independence. We think we should explain the changes in the last six years. First of all, we must say it is the generosity of the Basque supporters of independence and their organized struggle within society that have bring about this "better situation". In view of our final goals, the work for all these years is just a small step of our work ahead. Nobody should think that our responsabilities, working methods and others should not be improved. But sometimes, even if the Basque nationalist left does not like eulogy or flattery, it is very healthy to recognize that our work has been productive and that we are in the right way towards freedom.

On the other hand, it was a really important initiative to spread the "Democratic Alternative" in the place of the old "KAS Alternative". By means of this peace proposal, a fundamental conclusive concept has been spread in society for the last three years: Basque people must have a say, regain a voice, and have their opinions respected. Once again, we have been able to spread the view that the root of the conflict between the Basque Country and the Spanish and French States is political. We have put under question the "democratic" legitimacy of the Spanish and French authorities and we have sowed our kitchen garden with a positive concept: Basque democracy. There are some democratic principles that any democrat should defend: Selfdetermination and land unity. These principles are stronger now. More people think now that after entering into democratic situation, everybody would be in a position of equality to defend their own project. And the Basque nationalist left is ready to put their political and social project into practice.

The institutional structures imposed on us by the two oppressing States has always been an obstacle in our way towards freedom. One of the changes of the new situation is that more people now begin to realize that those structures have failed. The Basque institutional framework in force is drained. The Spanish and French imperialists are now the only supporters of the present institutional "status quo". The Statute of Madrid, the Navarrese Foral Law and the lack of institutions in the Northern Basque Country (under French jurisdiction) cannot meet the needs and wishes of the Basques. Today, those who believed in the potentiality of current institutional structures now accept that freedom cannot be achieved in this way, and thus agree with the view always defended by the Basque nationalist left alone. For the first time, we have a true chance to find a solution for the Basque Country.

In addition to the institutional failure, the "Pacts' policy" is also drained. This policy was enforced by Spanish to distort the truth of the Basque political and social situation, and to destroy the project of independence. The only thing these Pacts brought about for the Basque Country, if any, was more and more suffering.

The supporters of the autonomous system (the EA and PNV nationalist parties, ELA trade union and many honest supporters of independence) have become aware of the fact that this autonomous way is no longer valid. Now, they seem to be determined to start a new way. They have finally decided to leave the Spanish Way of the Cross and take the road of the Basque Country, to support the Basque Country bravely, by breaking with the Spanish imposition and ties. Spain/France or the Basque Country, that's the question. And at least in words, they show a clear determination to work for the Basque Country. At this new crossroads, we all have to behave bravely and coherently in this historical moment.

The Spanish and French powers that be have no half-way political alternatives. Not at least, without the help of such parties as the PNV and EA. There is no way in between: past-present "dividing autonomous system" or tomorrow's Sovereignty based on Self-determination and Land Unity. All they could do is, for example, to present another trifling pseudo-offer to avoid a real solution, for instance, for another twenty years. But as we have already said, this half-way solution would need the help of the EA and PNV.

"Europe" is being built as a political, social and economic structure, with power to take decisions regarding the most important issues, consulting Madrid and Paris, but getting further from the Spanish and French state-structures. If we had no effective project of independence or if we had no alternative or resources to face the international huge cultural and economic project of the "union", the Basque Country could be even more dependent and shattered.

Finally, most Basque people now share the view that it is urgent to find a solution for the conflict, and that this solution must be necessarily political. Basques' wish to achieve peace, a solution, dialogue, talks, with or without ETA's operations, is actually news. It has nothing to do with the former "aseptic claim of peace". It is widely shared that a factual political solution should result from talks. It is not only that it is impossible to "end" with the ETA; above all, Basque people have succeed in showing that the root of the problem is political, in designing new ways of struggle and firmly saying "stop!" to the attacks against the Basque Country.

In brief, this is the situation in our country: there are two clearly opposite projects concerning our nation. First, the plan to build the Basque Country. It is possible to get a fairer society and people must fight for it. Second, the plan to go on with the process of integration, swallowing, cultural impoverishment started by Spain and France some long centuries ago. According to this plan, the Basque Country is just a region without personality in the world. There are clashes in the Basque Country regarding language, education, different views of approaching reality, or building a socio-economic network through labour relations. There is nothing new about these clashes. The only change is that there is a new chance to take definitive steps; there is a new situation brought about by the co-relation of forces.

And that is in fact our challence in this historical moment: how to set the Basque project in motion all together. If there is goodwill and honesty on the part of Basque political party leaders, there is enough strength and imagination in this nation to keep on going.

What will Basque forces do?

Once again, let's bear in mind that the Basque Country is on the threshold of its future. We approach this historical situation in a spirit of hope, aware of the alarming situation here and deeply worried. The key to resolve our future depends on the yes/no answers to a significative question.

What are the Basque nationalists going to do? Taking into account our recent history, we must think about this question in deep. As a matter of fact, twenty years ago, the other Basque parties yielded to Spanish State's desires. Their excuse was that they were afraid of the "sound of the swords", as they told us. Thus, the Spanish authorities decided in Moncloa and Zarzuela to further partition of our Country, and to keep on denying our right to self-determination by arms. From then on, the Basque nationalist left has neve stopped coherently defending Basque sovereignty, even if they had to pay for it with suffering. Meanwhile, the other forces came to become part of the progressively stronger network.

Anyway, we look ahead with hope again. There is a clear difference between little and rotten fruits collected in twenty years and the sunrays in the way towards freedom. These years have been long, but it is very pleasant to see that others also come to realize the right way to achieve independence. Future freedom will always be better than present submission.

This does not mean that our way ahead is not difficult or risky. Our challenge demands that all the supporters of independence, leftists and democrats, must play honestly and honourably against Spanish and French blindness and narrow-mindedness.

Our objective is ambitious. Then, the Basque nationalist left should not work alone to achieve it. However, if that would be the case, we ourselves would go on fighting as happy and determined as before, following the way started by thousands of Basque citizens and fighters.

Our challenges ahead

As we have already said at the beginning of this communiqu , this is the main challenge and core of this political stage: the Basque Country, as a whole, must be free, by overcoming its autonomous and state borders. We must set the grounds for the future. We are not in the same place now. We should not only regain the chance we lost twenty years ago, but we must take a more important step: we must set the pillars for the future Basque Country. Our challenge is to clearly define the place where we will build our house. Because there are not two or three Basque Countries. There is only one, full of different features and realities -linguistic, social, economic and regarding customs-. That's a country in fact!

Never forgetting differences among Basque nationalists, democrats, and progressive peopke, we must lead the work to build a new political framework including all the provinces of the Basque Country. And in this leading work, all the Basque people have a place, a say and a task.

Achievement of Basque sovereignty clashes with Spanish and French biassed and party interests. All the meeting places and pacts to collaborate with Spain must end, that is, it must be the end for secret dirty deals to keep our nation economically dependent.

Our first task is to start "thinking" as a Country. All together. And to honestly analyse our actual economic, linguistic, cultural and social situation in our country. Afterwards, we must promote global projects taking into account all the Basque Country, regarding linguistic rights, land organisation, economic development or social rights. The forces in favour of a free Basque Country must reach agreements on fundamental principles.

At the same time, it is everyone's task to confront those who are and will always be enemies of our project. At the outset of this communiqu , we have said we cannot close our eyes to the Basque current situation. In the Basque Country, many people live in a "situation of emergency". The Spanish and French seem to be against a given political option, but as a matter of fact it is the future of the Basque Country which is endangered. If we foster a project all together, it is obvious that Spain and France will react against it and that we will have to suffer its consequences. With no doubt. We will have to be ready for that. We will have to be brave to say that all the foreign political forces are not needed in our country, and we will have to carry out all the big and small actions to get them out from here. Time has come then, not only to critize our actions, good or bad, but to note what we have not done but must do.

What the ETA's step is not

Before we present our decision and make a specific call, we deem it necessary to specify what this new political stage ahead is not due to the confussion provoked by speculation, expectations and statements in these days. Proffesional politicians should not deceive people with their plays on words.

We must say we do not agree with the "pacification" proposed by Ardanza in his biassed scheme, after he has defended coming closer to Spain for ten long years. Furthermore, we do not want to "easy our minds" or deceive ourselves by giving that "pacification" a political "shape". This moment requires a braver behaviour. We are entering into a completely new situation.

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is about to give a significant step. Some will try to fool Basque people by relating this step to "normalization", to the strengthening of present framework, to the offer of a false peace with no changes. These are not but lies. There have been many other lies, for instance, that the ETA deals with the Basque problem by fighting the enemy with the armed struggle. This is not the core of the problem. The key is that Peace will only be achieved when the rights of the Basque Country are recognized. This is the reason, root and key of current conflict: rights are denied to the Basque Country. We cannot take decisions on how we want to organise our nation by our own.

ETA has taken its main step. It is the others' turn to fill this gap, and in a brave and dignified way indeed. As we have said, it is not time for doubts, selfish-decisions or vested interests: it is actually the Basque Country what we can win.

Announcement

Bearing in mind the aforgsaid argumentations, ETA -Basque socialist revolutionary organisation for national liberation-, publicly announces the following to the Basque people and in general, to the international public opinion:

GORA EUSKADI ASKATUTA! GORA EUSKADI SOZIALISTA!

JO TA KE INDEPENTZIA LORTU ARTE!

Euskal Herria, September 1998
EUSKADI TA ASKATASUNA