History of the International Contact Group

In March 2010 the South African lawyer Brian Currin, who in recent years has been facilitating the search for a negotiated and democratic solution to the conflict in the Basque Country, promoted the so-called Brussels Declaration welcoming «the proposed steps and new public commitment of the Basque Pro-independence (Abertzale Left) to “exclusively political and democratic means”» and appealing to ETA to support this commitment by declaring a permanent, fully verified ceasefire appropriately responded to by the Spanish Government. The statement was signed by 21 international leaders in peace processes and conflict resolution, including several Nobel Prize winners.

Given the impact that such declaration had as an international referent that pointed out the door to a possible peace process and after different reactions were made public (ETA said in a statement it was «ready to study with the endorsers of the Brussels Declaration the commitments to take»), Brian Currin, detected the need to create a small group of international experts from the signers of the Declaration with a a more operational nature, a proposal that was consulted with several political and social actors.

Having determined that the identified need was widely shared, he started the process for selecting the members that would be part of the group, valuing their experience in peace processes, conflict transformation, transitional justice or post-conflict normalization, among other areas.

Thus, the International Contact Group was born in 12th of November of 2010 as a result of a consultation process conducted by Brian Currin with different political and social actors in the Basque Country and Spain. Through the consultation process, it was discussed the mandate that such group should have and it was presented at a press conference. The main goal of the Group was announced, which would be <<to expedite, facilitate and enable the achievement of political normalization in the Basque Country>>, noting that the group would begin its work only when ETA declared a permanent and verifiable ceasefire.

After such ceasefire was declared, in 15th of February of 2011 the members of the International Contact Group were announced (Silvia Casale, Brian Currin, Pierre Hazan, Ray Kendall, Nuala O’Loan and Alberto Spektorowski), along with the main working issues that would focus its activities in the coming months.

They have since visited the Basque country on several occasions to engage with a wide representation of political parties, social organizations and unions, having as main objectives the legalization of a political party representing the aspirations of the Abertzale Left, and the verification of the cease-fire of ETA. Its mission, as they have always said, is to serve the Basque political and social forces, offering their skills and experience to anyone who requires them.