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“Batasuna calls on ETA for an ‘unconditional cessation’ of violence”, leads El País. Almost two months after the Basque terrorist group’s 5 September declaration, in which it ambiguously declared it had “ceased offensive operations”, its outlawed political wing is urging a ceasefire that is “unilateral, permanent and verifiable by the international community”. Batasuna is keen to present candidates for the municipal and provincial elections scheduled for May 2011. Without an unconditional ceasefire, “such an attempt would be doomed to failure because they would be blocked by the Ministry of Interior and the courts,” the Madrid daily notes. The declaration represents a major shift in Basque nationalist left thinking, with El País adding that "rejection to violence is growing among the population".
