Batasuna leader announces deep reflection after ETA's statement

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Arnaldo Otegi

Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi said Tuesday that the so-called left-wing nationalists will have to think about the "confusion" caused by ETA's latest statement threatening to "respond" if the government kept up its "attacks." According to Otegi, many within the outlawed party Batasuna think this fact "detracts from the credibility of the ceasefire."

In an interview on the Basque radio station Euskadi Irratia, Otegi criticised that "some" take advantage of ETA's latest statement to "hide the confirmation of the ceasefire in a malicious way." However, he admitted many people within the so-called left-wing nationalists said honestly this fact "detracts from the credibility of the ceasefire."

The left-wing nationalists are "worried but committed" to a process of political normalization that must have "political contents" such as self-determination and which must take place without violence, Otegi said.

After pointing out that the distrust brought by ETA's attack in Madrid's Barajas airport, must be overcome through talks sitting at a table, Otegi defended to check which things within the process worked well and which not.