The Spanish parliament Tuesday approved a motion authorizing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government to start talks with the underground Basque separatist group ETA if it renounces violence, dpa reported. The motion was approved by 192 votes to 147 and was backed by all parties except the main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), which accuses the Socialist government of making parliament "surrender" to ETA without respecting the memory of its victims. Zapatero has stressed that eventual talks will not imply political concessions to ETA, which seeks an independent Basque state carved out of northern Spain and southern France. Weakened by constant arrests of its members, ETA has not staged fatal attacks for two years, and the government is hoping that its passivity could evolve into a willingness to lay down arms. ETA has shown some signs of interest in talks with Zapatero, who has promised to increase Basque autonomy while ruling out independence. --More 2331 Local Time 2031 GMT
