Armed group ETA seeks international mediators: Report

The Basque separatist group ETA, which declared a truce this month, has called for international mediation to end one of Europe's longest guerrilla conflicts, the Spanish daily Gara said on Sunday, citing a press release.

ETA, seeking an independent Basque homeland formed from parts of northern Spain and southern France, has been badly hit by recent arrests of key members and by concerted action by Spanish, French and Portuguese police to search out arms caches.

The ETA statement urged the international community "to push for and participate in the organisation of a democratic process to give a permanent, just and democratic solution to a centuries old political conflict."

The group, which has killed over 850 people since 1968, called a truce on September 5 but gave no details of its duration or plans to disarm, leading Spain's government to dismiss the announcement.

"ETA has set sail on the route of opportunity towards a democratic solution to the conflict and has made the first move without dropping anchor. It is ready to sail in deeper waters."

ETA sends its lengthy press releases only to a handful of regional Basque language newspapers, liberally employing metaphor to describe its actions.

International mediators helped end another protracted European guerrilla campaign -- by the Provisional IRA group in northern Ireland. A 1998 agreement provided for disarming by guerrillas and power sharing between rival republican and pro-British forces after 30 years bloodshed.

ETA separatists have broken several ceasefires in the past, most recently in 2006 with a deadly bomb attack at Madrid's Barajas airport. Their last killing was that of a French policeman, who was trying to arrest ETA members as they tried to steal a car on the outskirts of Paris in March.

ETA has faced recent pressure even from within the ranks of the separatist movement to abandon armed conflict and seek negotiation to allow political involvement in forthcoming regional elections.