Spanish PM to visit Ireland for peace process advice

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is to visit Ireland next month for experience of the Irish peace process, government sources said Saturday, three days after the Basque separatist group ETA declared ceasefire.

Zapatero has accepted the invitation from his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern, a government spokeswoman said.

The ETA began a "permanent" ceasefire from 2300 GMT Thursday, ending a campaign that began in 1968 and left more than 800 people dead and thousands of others wounded.

In a press conference in Brussels on Friday, the Spanish prime minister singled out Britain and Ireland for their "extremely useful" contribution to the peace process.

Zapatero added that the ETA ceasefire was just the first step to the final settlement of the whole issue.

He said he would appear before parliament this summer with a plan to move forward if an end to violence is verified.

Source: Xinhua