ETA's sinister anniversary

Only a day after the 29 July car-bomb outside the Civil Guard barracks in Burgos, which resulted in more than 60 injured, two young Civil Guards have been killed in a second bombing in Palmanova, Majorca. The editorial in El Mundo notes that "today ETA celebrates a sinister half-century of existence." For the Madrid daily, 50 years of ETA terror are nothing more than "a history of immense and bloody failure," in which the terrorist organization has "not succeeded in any of its objectives."

In view of the fact that the Spanish royal family traditionally spends the summer near Palma, Majorca, the location of the target for the 30 July attack is thought to be "highly symbolic." It may also indicate that ETA is seeking to undermine the tourist business on the island. El Mundo rules out the possiblity of any negotiations with ETA, arguing that "experience has shown that dialogue (...) inevitably fails to work." The paper goes on to assert that ETA "is doomed because it is an anachronism," adding that more attention should be paid to the group's victims. Citing the number of people that have been killed by the terrorist organization, El Mundo concludes that "today we have 823 reasons to conduct a relentless campaign against ETA."