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Spain to ban more Basque nationalists from vote

03 May 2007 16:35:36 GMT
Source: Reuters

MADRID, May 3 (Reuters) - The Spanish government on Thursday asked for more Basque nationalists to be banned from regional elections later this month because of links to ETA rebels.

Attorney General Candido Conde Pumpido wants the Supreme Court to ban 110 lists of candidates standing for Basque National Action (ANV), a little-known group which he told a news conference was infiltrated by ETA's political ally Batasuna.

"These are Batasuna, not ANV candidates," he said.

Separately, the government asked for another 122 ANV lists to be banned, following earlier moves to block Abertzale Sozialistak, which authorities also call a Batasuna front.

Although Batasuna has the support of about one in seven voters in Spain's northern Basque Country, the party has refuse d to meet government demands to condemn violence in order to be able to participate in the local government elections on May 27.

In private, government officials say Batasuna's chances of being allowed into the elections evaporated when ETA bombed Madrid airport in December, leading the government to call off incipient peace talks with ETA.

On Wednesday, Batasuna said banning its supporters could wreck chances for a peaceful solution to the four-decade-old Basque conflict, in which ETA has killed more than 800 people in its campaign for Basque independence.

The Supreme Court must rule on whether to ban the candidates by this weekend.

(Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo)

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Last updated:Thu May 3 16:37:08 2007