During Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Dáil today, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, raised ETA’s historic decision to decommission its weapons. He called for the Spanish and French Governments to respond positively to this development and for the Spanish government to address the issue of political prisoners.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“Today I raised ETA’s historic decision to decommission all their remaining weapons with the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Dáil.

“This significant event comes 6 years after ETA declared an end to its armed struggle, but there are still huge and unresolved issues, particularly regarding the punishment of hundreds of political prisoners dispersed in jail hundreds of kilometres from their homes.

“I called on the Spanish and French Governments to create the conditions for a fair, comprehensive and irreversible peace in the Basque Country, and to deal with the issue of political prisoners.

“The Basque people and pro-independence political parties have repeatedly demonstrated in elections and on the streets their support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“The Irish Government, given Ireland’s own history, should formally appeal to the Spanish and French Governments to act with generosity in their response to ETA’s decommissioning and to offer whatever assistance and support Ireland can provide to create a lasting and durable peace process for the Basque Country.”

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