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Tens of thousands of people gathered at a rally Saturday in the northern city of Bilbao to call for greater Basque self-determination and negotiations between the Spanish government and separatists.
The rally was organized by pro-Basque entities including political parties, trade unions and local societies after last month’s declaration of a permanent cease-fire by the armed separatist group ETA.
“Dialogue is the only way to normalize the Basque Country,” said Susana Gomez, a 33-year-old teacher at the protest.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government has said it would consider negotiations only when ETA’s cease-fire was seen as permanent.
