Batasuna poised to relaunch itself as a party which rejects ETA violence

The Basque group Batasuna plans to launch a new, re-branded party, which may explicitly reject ETA violence. Batasuna, currently illegal due to its close historical ties to the terrorist group, will present new party statutes at an event in Bilbao on Monday. An internal Batasuna report seen by EL PAÍS says the key component will be the "rejection and opposition to the use or threat of violence for political ends and including any violence by ETA, whatever form that may take."

Sources say the terms used by Batasuna leader Rufi Etxeberria will be modeled on this text, although the exact words will not be known until the last minute. The key lies in whether the direct allusion to ETA will remain.

The same sources indicate the left-wing group hopes the new "spotless statutes" will clear the way to standing in local May elections, while stressing that the political shift is irreversible. Two days after the Bilbao event, Batasuna will travel to Madrid to register the party at the Interior Ministry, and the battle for legal recognition will begin in earnest.