It's Good To Talk

Talking to the Basque terrorist group eta has long been anathema to Spanish governments. But Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero seems prepared to bite the bullet this time.

The Spanish Congress last week passed a resolution giving the government authority to negotiate with eta — if it lays down its arms. Batasuna, the banned political party close to eta, welcomed the move. "We think it's a step in the right direction," says Arnaldo Otegi, Batasuna's spokesman. The opposition Popular Party (PP) and victims' groups are livid, accusing Zapatero of providing eta with what María San Gil, the PP's leader in the Basque Country, called "the oxygen that they were lacking." The government denies it has already held talks with the organization, but admits to informal contacts with Batasuna. "We have indications that some of them are ready to talk," a senior government official told Time.

Still, no one is predicting an early breakthrough. "There is good disposition on eta's part [to negotiate]", insists Batasuna's Otegi. "But we are still in the very preliminary stages." And violence could still erupt. "eta is still capable of attacking and will do so whenever it can," Interior Minister José Antonio Alonso said. Keep those communication channels open.