New Perspectives for the Basque Country in a Post-Conflict Scenario
Publisher: ECMI Volume: 6 pages, pdf Description: On 20 October 2012 the Basque organisation ETA announced a permanent end to more than 40 years of armed activity. Three days earlier, at a conference held in San Sebastian, an array of prominent international figures, led by Kofi Annan and Basque sovereignist political and social forces, had formally requested the armed organisation to come to an end and the Spanish and French governments to view that decision favourably and hold talks with ETA on the technical consequences of the conflict. This meant the beginning of the end of a long period of Basque history marked by the use of violence as an instrument of political action, and a long trail of human rights violations that caused more than a thousand deaths and even a larger number of victims as a result of the conflict. It has opened up a new stage of normalisation in the Basque Country, though this new social and political context that differs considerably from previously is not without its difficulties.