In a communiqué on Sunday in the Basque newspaper Gara, ETA said disarmament "wasn't going to be a bargaining chip, but rather a way to show the intransigence of the (Spanish and French) states and to further the independence movement."

The separatist group also told the paper it had entered a phase it which it would take "decisions from among all its members for moving forward."

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"ETA will examine the path that has been travelled and will take future decisions with responsibility," the statement said.

No break-up planned

The group made no mention of dissolving in Sunday's communiqué.

Their statement was issued on Basque "homeland day," as the Spanish and French governments continued to downplay the significance of ETA's disarmament on April 8.

The two countries say ETA must dissolve and apologize for the atrocities committed during its 43-year campaign for an independent country bordering Spain and France.

ETA announced a ceasefire in 2011, ending a 43-year terror campaign for independence for the Basque Country

ETA killed 829 people, mostly in Spain, and left thousands more injured. The separatist group was blamed for hundreds of shootings, bombings and kidnappings from the 1960s until 2011.

In 2011, amid a string of arrests of top ETA operatives and public outrage over bloodshed, ETA announced it was abandoning its armed campaign.

ETA: A history of separatist violence What is ETA? An old man walks past graffiti depicting the logo of Basque separatist group ETA in Goizueta, Spain. ETA (an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, which roughly translates to Basque Country and Freedom) is a formerly-armed nationalist and separatist organization in the Basque Country in northern Spain and southwestern France.

ETA: A history of separatist violence ETA's transition A worker removes graffiti reading 'Gora ETA' (Long live ETA) in support of the group in downtown Pamplona, in northern Spain. ETA, considered a terrorist organization by the EU, was founded in 1959. Initially, it concentrated on promoting traditional Basque culture but later it evolved into a paramilitary group, engaging in a violent campaign of bombing, assassinations and kidnappings.

ETA: A history of separatist violence A bloody campaign Part of a 14-story building seen after a car bomb explosion in July 2009, in the Spanish city of Burgos. The bombing was blamed on ETA. The group engaged in a bloody campaign to carve out an independent Basque state from parts of northern Spain and southern France between 1968 and 2010. During that time, the group carried out roughly 4,000 terrorist attacks that left 829 people dead.

ETA: A history of separatist violence Assassination that changed history ETA's first revolutionary gesture was to fly the banned "ikurrina," the red and green Basque flag. In 1973, the group targeted Luis Carrero Blanco, long-time confidant of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. The assassination changed the course of Spanish history as it led to the exiled king reclaiming the throne and a shift to a constitutional monarchy.

ETA: A history of separatist violence The big announcement ETA’s first known victim was a secret police chief in San Sebastian in 1968 and its last a French policemen shot in 2010. The group announced ceasefires earlier in 1989, 1996, 1998, 2006 and 2010. In 2011, ETA announced a "definitive cessation of its armed activity." The group announced on April 7, 2017 that it had given up all its weapons and explosives and would be officially disarming.

ETA: A history of separatist violence Dissolution in exchange for amnesty In January 2017, thousands of Spanish people protested for ETA prisoners to be relocated to jails close to their places of origin. ETA sought to negotiate its dissolution in exchange for amnesty or improved prison conditions for roughly 350 of its members held in Spain and France.

ETA: A history of separatist violence Independence via peaceful means Arnaldo Otegi, leader of the former Basque independence Batasuna party, as he left the Spain's Logrono prison in March 2016. In an interview this week in the Basque seaside city of San Sebastian, Otegi welcomed the disarmament move. The 58-year-old also insisted that independence for his Basque homeland remains very much in the cards - but via peaceful means this time.

ETA: A history of separatist violence A chapter comes to an end French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said, "this stage of neutralizing an arsenal of arms and explosives is a major step." Meanwhile, Spain demanded that ETA apologize for decades of violence and then disband definitively. In a statement, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the arms cache move signaled the "definitive defeat" of ETA. Author: Aasim Saleem



Two weeks ago ETA handed over a list of eight caches to French authorities, allowing police to uncover weapons, ammunition and explosives at secret locations. Around three and a half tones of arms and explosives were found.

The group had sought to negotiate its dissolution in exchange for amnesties or improved prison conditions for roughly 350 of its members held in Spain and France, and for current members living under cover. But the two countries refused.

Support dropping

While ETA says it will continue to push for independence, a survey last October by pollsters Euskobarometro suggested that just 29 percent Basques were strongly in favor of independence, while 37 percent didn't want it.

But almost two-thirds of Basques said they wanted a referendum to decide the region's future once and for all.