MADRID, May 21 (UPI) -- Spain's president said he plans to announce in parliament "the start of the process of dialogue to achieve the end of violence with ETA," the BBC reported.
President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero spoke at a Socialist meeting in the Basque country in the northern region of Spain.
Euskadi Ta Askatasuna -- Basque Homeland and Freedom -- is the group that has fought for an independent socialist state for 30 years. The separatist group announced a cease-fire on March 22.
In April, Zapatero held talks with Juan Jose Ibarretxe, a Basque leader. Multiparty talks about the future of the region can begin once the cease-fire is firmly established, Zapatero said.
Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, deputy to Zapatero, said Batasuna -- a banned political wing -- would be excluded from the talks, the BBC said.
A government poll showed that 53.9 percent of Spaniards were dubious of ETA's intentions while 43.1 percent were hopeful. The survey was conducted by the Center for Sociological Research.
