Eta bomb attack on courthouse ends lull in violence

The Basque separatist group Eta ended a lull in violence yesterday with a bomb attack on a courthouse in the region's capital, Vitoria.

One person was slightly injured, the building was destroyed, and more than 20 cars were set ablaze by the blast, which occurred before dawn and was preceded by a warning.

The attack endedseveral weeks of relative peace in Spain's Basque country. A heavy security clampdown during that time had prompted the government in Madrid to make one of its periodic announcements that it had dismantled the separatist organisation.

But those close to Eta indicate that the lull had more to do with an internal struggle over whether or not to call another ceasefire.

Yesterday's attack followed what Madrid's representative in the Basque country, Enrique Villar, condemned as "incendiary speeches" by leaders of the region's ruling Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) at the party's day of celebration on Sunday.

To the delight of tens of thousands attending an open-air rally near Vitoria, the PNV president, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, promised to call a referendum on Basque self-determination if Madrid continued to reject dialogue and Eta kept on killing.

Jose Maria Aznar's conservative government has condemned such a move as unconstitutional, but many Basques see the option as the only way out of the impasse.

Mr Ibarretxe said: "If Madrid continues to refuse to accept that this is a society that wants more and more self-government, I am not afraid to appeal to people and let them speak their mind and tell Eta to stop killing once and for all, and let the will of the Basques be heard and accepted."

After ruling in coalition or minority governments for 20 years, the PNV won a decisive victory in regional elections in May. Support collapsed for both Mr Aznar's Popular Party and the pro-Eta Batasuna party.