The radical Basque separatist party Batasuna, which has close links with ETA, called for the start of a peace process on Sunday, raising hopes again to end the 36-year-old conflict.

Batasuna prepared an agreement between ETA, Spain and France on ending the armed conflict and holding a referendum to decide Basque's future.

Analysts believed that the call would be a challenge for the Spanish government.
 
In March, Socialists who won the general election rejected a call from ETA for dialogue, saying: "We give no validity to a communique from the ETA which is a terrorist group."
 
Again, at the end of October, ETA said in a letter to Basque television that it would be open to negotiations with the Spanish government.

In recent months, Spain and France have strengthened cooperation in hunting down ETA members.

A total of 21 ETA members, including its top leaders Mikel "Antza" Albizu Iriarte and Soledad "Anboto" Iparragirre Genetxea, were arrested on Oct. 3 in a joint French-Spanish raid in southwestern France.

Batasuna has been outlawed in Spain on charges of being part of ETA and using its privileges to promote the terrorist cause.

In June 2003, the European Union decided to add Batasuna to its list of terrorist organizations.

Nevertheless, Batasuna denied itself as the political wing of ETA.

ETA, branded as a terrorist group by the Spanish government, the European Union and the United States, has killed more than 800people since 1968 in a campaign for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2004)