Politics

Basque left-wing coalition Amaiur will ask in the Spanish lower house that the ETA prisoners serve out the remainder of their sentences in the Basque region, rather than in jails further afield.

According to Amaiur sources in the Spanish parliament, the Basque nationalist coalition will present in the coming weeks an initiative concerning ETA prisoners, which will try to agree with the rest of political parties.

Other demands concerning ETA inmates include the release of seriously-ill inmates, prisoners held in preventive custody and those who have already served three fourths of their sentences.

Mikel Errekondo, Amaiur spokesman in parliament, did not answer whether the ETA prisoners would agree to ask for forgiveness to their victims separately as a previous condition to earn the penitentiary privileges.

Spain has for 22 years dispersed ETA prisoners under an amendment to the country's 1975 anti-terrorism law. There are an estimated 700 ETA prisoners held in jails dotted around Spain and France, of which only around two dozen are believed to be serving sentences in the Basque region.

Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of downtown Bilbao late on Saturday to call for an amnesty that would allow ETA prisoners to serve out the remainder of their sentences in the Basque region, rather than in jails further afield.

Marchers unfurled banners saying "The solution, Basque prisoners to the Basque region," and marched mostly in silence to avoid confrontations with riot police under orders to dissolve the gathering if pro-ETA chanting broke out.