Spain mounted pressure on Basque militants at home and abroad tonight with the government applying to the Supreme Court for a total ban on the political wing of the armed group ETA, and lawyers seeking the closure of its offices in France, Belgium and Nicaragua.
The cabinet agreed to apply for a ban on the nationalist party Batasuna following an overwhelming vote in favour by Parliament on Monday.
Attorney-General Jesus Cardenal will separately ask the Supreme Court on Tuesday to ban Batasuna.
ETA has waging a bloody campaign for three decades for an independent homeland which began in the late 1960s under the regime of dictator Francisco Franco.
Meanwhile a Spanish prosecutor today requested an anti-terrorism judge to seek the closure of Batasuna offices in France, Belgium and Nicaragua, court sources said.
A French foreign ministry spokesman later said Paris has "no knowledge" of any such request from Madrid.
The government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar wants to ban Batasuna permanently, accusing it of being part of ETA. Legal arguments are based on legislation banning political groups supporting terrorism.
The government invoked the attorney general after ETA's most recent bomb attack, causing two deaths including that of a six-year-old girl.
The government argues that Batasuna failed to condemn the outrage. This argument will feature in the petition by the attorney general, sources said.
Last week Spain's highest court suspended all activities by Batasuna for three years.
Batasuna has appealed the suspension order but the government motion seeks to get the Supreme Court to ban the movement outright when it examines the petition on Tuesday under stringent anti-terrorist legislation passed in June.
If the judge upholds the suspension Batasuna can appeal to a higher court, including the European Court of Human Rights.
AFP