
"The leftist abertzale (Basque nationalists), for the first time in their history, reject ETA violence,” leads Bilbao daily El Correo, following a statement by nationalist group Sortu (formerly Batasuna, considered close to the Basque terrorist group) in which the party “rejects and opposes the violence of ETA in all its manifestations.” The announcement was made with the municipal elections of May 22 in sight: the law requires that, in order to participate, the parties explicitly reject all violence. This new nationalist left should provide “greater guarantees of its democratic vocation,” El Correowrites in its editorial. The paper does, however, recognise the “remarkable progress” made by Sortu “in their efforts to return to the institutions of state and to leave the path of connivance with terrorism.” The daily notes that the Spanish Supreme Court has yet to comment on the legality of the new party.
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