Newly disclosed documents suggest that Spain’s Socialist government secretly struck deals with the Basque separatist group ETA, a terror organization that killed more than 800 people during its decades-long campaign.
The records, published this week by Spanish news outlet The Objective, indicate that officials under Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero during his time in office (2004-2011) offered concessions—including reduced police controls and political recognition of banned pro-independence groups—in exchange for a ceasefire.
Most strikingly, the files allege that Madrid even warned ETA of planned French police operations, a move that, if confirmed, would mark a serious breach of international counterterror cooperation.
The notes, drafted by ETA representatives themselves, outline a framework in which the government—codenamed “Gorburu”—offered so-called “guarantees.” These included easing police surveillance in the Basque Country, allowing banned separatist parties like Batasuna back into politics, and agreeing not to carry out arrests unless members were caught in violent acts. According to the documents, these guarantees were to be implemented within a week of ETA announcing a “permanent ceasefire” in March 2006.
The most serious allegation is that an emissary linked to Zapatero informed mediators that French authorities were preparing a “major operational strike” against ETA after the arrest of senior members. If true, such a warning would represent not only an extraordinary breach of counterterror coordination with a European ally but also a deliberate attempt to shield a terrorist group from law enforcement.
The revelations also carry international implications, raising questions about how far democracies can go in negotiating with armed groups. While governments do sometimes negotiate with armed groups to end cycles of violence, tipping off terrorists about allied police operations or influencing judicial outcomes crosses into dangerous territory, undermining both the rule of law at home and counterterror measures abroad, particularly between Spain and France.
Supporters of Zapatero’s approach insist that a political solution to ETA’s violence required difficult compromises and that many of the alleged promises never materialized, because judges and prosecutors acted independently. Critics, however, see the documents as proof that the government breathed new life into a group already weakened in exchange for a ceasefire that never held.
