Spain bans Basque party from elections

MADRID, May 16 (UPI) -- Spain's highest court has banned the Basque separatist group Abertzale Sozialisten Batasuna, or ABS, from participating in elections.

However, ABS party officials said they would field candidates in local and regional elections scheduled for May 27, EFE news agency reported Wednesday.

The head of the political wing of Basque separatists Batasuna, Joseba Alvarez, accused Spanish President Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of abandoning the fragile peace process between the Spanish government and the Basque separatist group ETA.

For decades ETA has fought for an independent homeland along the French-Spanish border, conducting numerous bombings and other attacks.