The Spanish government expressed hope yesterday that the Basque guerrilla group ETA would soon declare a definitive ceasefire, putting an end to its 30-year campaign of separatist violence.
The Interior Minister, Mr Jaime Mayor Oreja, said officials were closely following reports that ETA, which declared a truce last month, was about to respond positively to government demands that it renounce armed struggle as a condition for peace talks.
"We hope it happens," Mr Mayor Oreja said. "We hope that ETA confirms it, and then we'll see what steps we'll take."
Just three days after Basque regional elections, the daily El Correo Espanol reported that ETA was preparing to respond "in an affirmative way" to repeated calls for it to prove it was ready to abandon violence in the quest for a lasting peace.
The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying ETA's announcement would expand on its assertion to BBC television last weekend that it was willing to take further steps to cement its truce of September 18th, and advance the peace process.
ETA reserved the right to keep its arms for self-defence when it declared its unilateral ceasefire, which was the third in its history but the first with no conditions or deadline attached.
A masked ETA spokesman told BBC on the eve of Sunday's Basque elections that the ceasefire was "firm and serious and implies a will to solve the conflict".
However, El Correo reported that an internal debate among ETA members had intensified in recent weeks.
The newspaper cited sources as saying a majority within the organisation was ready to give up its armed struggle, which has claimed 800 lives since 1968.
But a smaller faction - described as carrying "substantial political weight" - was against renouncing violence until ETA received guarantees the issue of sovereignty would be discussed during peace negotiations, the sources said.
ETA made clear in last month's ceasefire announcement that its main demand - the creation of an independent state carved out of northern Spain and southern France - remained intact. But the Spanish government has refused even to consider giving up sovereignty over the three Basque provinces.
The ruling Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) - which helped convince ETA to declare a truce - took 21 seats in the 75-seat regional parliament, earning the right to form another coalition government to lead the autonomous region.
ETA's political wing - contesting the election under the new name Euskal Herritarrok - reaped the benefits of the truce at the polls, increasing its seats to 14 from the 11 won in 1994.
But the Basque branches of Spain's two biggest parties - the ruling Popular Party and the opposition Socialists, both of which have expressed scepticism about the sincerity of ETA's initiative - scored strong gains as well.