Press release, 4th of April of 2011

The International Contact Group (ICG) for the Basque region met for a second time on the 2nd of April 2011. The meeting took place in London. A number of issues were discussed. The Group took note of the 23rd March decision of the Spanish High Court and the very interesting dissenting opinion on the registration of Sortu. As a matter of principle, the Group believes that all political parties that oppose violence should be able to participate in democratic political life. 

The Group recognizes the importance and the complexities of the question of verification of the cease-fire. The Group is implementing a process to check if, as it has been reported, the process of extortion of money (the so called «the revolutionary tax») has indeed stopped. The Group is adopting an incremental approach to explore various modalities that could be used for the verification of other aspects of the general cease-fire.

Having in mind the goal of achieving a successful process of reconciliation in the Basque region, the Group recommends that all political forces (including Sortu), should acknowledge and emphatize with the sufferings endured by the victims of violence.