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A8   WORLD NEWS
                  Saturday 21 april 2018




















            Basque militant group ETA: 'We really are sorry'




            By ARITZ PARRA                                                                                                      been demanding an apol-
            MADRID (AP) — The Basque                                                                                            ogy  and  that  the  group
            militant  group  ETA  on  Fri-                                                                                      take a further step and dis-
            day  offered  an  unprec-                                                                                           band.
            edented  apology  for  the                                                                                          The  official  Basque  region-
            pain  caused  during  its                                                                                           al  broadcaster  ETB,  which
            more than four decades of                                                                                           has  in  the  past  had  ac-
            armed campaign for inde-                                                                                            cess  to  the  organization's
            pendence from Spain and                                                                                             plans,  reported  this  week
            France, and vowed not to                                                                                            that ETA's dissolution would
            return to violence.                                                                                                 be  announced  in  the  first
            ETA,  which  killed  around                                                                                         weekend  of  May.  ETB  said
            850  people  including  po-                                                                                         that an event to mark the
            lice,  politicians  and  en-                                                                                        end  of  ETA  —  a  Basque-
            trepreneurs,  is  due  to  an-                                                                                      language acronym for Eus-
            nounce  its  final  dissolution                                                                                     kadi Ta Askatasuna, mean-
            early  next  month,  ending                                                                                         ing Basque Homeland and
            one of Europe's last stand-                                                                                         Freedom — will be held in
            ing  violent  nationalist  con-                                                                                     southern France before the
            flicts.  After  nearly  half  a   In this file image made from video provided on Oct. 20, 2011, masked members of the Basque   final  announcement  by
            century  of  car  bomb  at-  separatist group ETA raise their fists in unison following a news conference at an undisclosed loca-  the group. In Friday's state-
            tacks,  shootings  and  kid-  tion.                                                                                 ment, ETA said it is commit-
            nappings,  the  group  gave                                                                        Associated Press   ted  "to  finally  overcome
            up  its  violent  campaign  in                                                                                      the  consequences  of  the
            2011.  One  year  ago,  the  It  added  that  Friday's  an-  Basques  have  a  distinct  what  was  known  as  the  conflict and not to fall into
            organization  also  handed  nouncement  was  "nothing  culture and an ancient lan-     Spanish government's "dirty  its  repetition,"  adding  that
            over  to  authorities  most  of  more  than  another  conse-  guage, Euskara.          war" against the group.      "this  political  and  historical
            its remaining arsenal.       quence  of  the  fortitude  of  In the 80s, shadowy death  Both  France  and  Spain,  conflict should have had a
            In a statement published on  the rule of law that has de-  squads  killed  and  tortured  where ETA committed most  fair  and  democratic  solu-
            Friday  by  Basque  newspa-  feated ETA with the arms of  dozens  of  ETA  militants  in  of  its  deadly  actions,  had  tion a long time ago."q
            pers  Berria  and  Gara,  ETA  democracy."
            acknowledged  its  respon-   ETA's victims were also criti-  American woman sentenced to
            sibility  for  the  pain  caused  cal  of  the  announcement
            by  assassinations,  torture,  because  it  sought  the  for-
            forced to leave the Basque  didn't  have  a  direct  par- life in Canada for deadly plot
            kidnappings  and  people  giveness  of  victims  "who

            country,  in  a  vague  refer-  ticipation in the conflict" —
            ence not only to ETA's vic-  apparently excluding those  HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP)  plot. Rosinski also said that  vannarath  credit  for  time
            tims but also to the plight of  who had been specifically  —  An  American  woman  if the plan to kill unsuspect-   served  in  custody,  so  she
            some of its own militants.   targeted by ETA.             who  plotted  to  go  on  a  ing shoppers had not been  will be eligible for parole in
            "We  want  to  show  our  re-  AVT, a national association  Valentine's  Day  shooting  interrupted  by  an  anony-  seven years.
            spect  to  the  dead,  the  in-  of terrorism victims, said the  rampage  at  a  Canadian  mous  tip  and  the  quick  Police   thwarted   the
            jured  and  the  victims  that  statement  aimed  to  "whit-  mall  was  sentenced  to  actions  of  local  police,  it  planned  attack  after  re-
            ETA's actions have caused,"  en"  ETA's  past,  while  CO-  life in prison Friday with no  would  have  been  carried  ceiving an anonymous tip,
            the statement said. "We re-  VITE,  another  victim  group  chance of parole for nearly  out.  Rosinski  said  his  sen-  but  Souvannarath  had  al-
            ally are sorry."             based in the Basque town  a decade.                       tence  was  partly  shaped  ready boarded a plane in
            Spain's government, which  of  San  Sebastian,  said  the  Lindsay  Souvannarath  of  by the principles that apply  Chicago  bound  for  Nova
            considers ETA a terrorist or-  distinction  between  "guilty  Geneva,  Illinois  pleaded  to  terrorism.  While  he  told  Scotia.
            ganization,  welcomed  the  and      innocent   victims"  guilty  last  year  to  conspir-  the  court  the  motivations  Her  co-conspirator,  James
            organization's  move  but  treats  them  "as  collateral  acy  to  commit  murder  in  and  intentions  in  the  case  Gamble,  killed  himself  as
            said the apology came too  damage  in  the  imposition  a plan that involved open-     aren't  precisely  the  same  police  surrounded  his  Hal-
            late.                        of a totalitarian project."  ing fire at a mall in Halifax,  as those related to terrorism  ifax-area  home.  Souvan-
            "ETA  should  have  sincerely  ETA  emerged  in  the  late  Nova Scotia in 2015.       activities, he said the crime  narath was arrested at the
            and  unconditionally  asked  1950s  during  the  dicta-   Nova     Scotia   Supreme  requires the court to "send  airport.
            for forgiveness for the dam-  torship  of  Gen.  Francisco  Court Justice Peter Rosinski  a  clear  message"  to  those  A third accomplice — a lo-
            age  caused  a  long  time  Franco with the stated aim  said  that  Souvannarath  is  conspiring  to  kill  multiple  cal man described in court
            ago,"  the  government  of  of forming an independent  and will remain a threat to  people that "they will pay a  as the "cheerleader" of the
            Prime Minister Mariano Ra-   state from Basque areas on  society. He said she has not  heavy price."                plot — was previously sen-
            joy said in a brief note.    both sides of the Pyrenees.  expressed  remorse  for  her  The  judge  also  gave  Sou-  tenced to a decade in jail.
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