Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Spain´s interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba MADRID, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Spain´s interior minister on Sunday rejected overtures from the political wing of ETA for talks between the government and Basque separatists based on the principles of the Northern Ireland peace process.

"The only way to end the conflict is for ETA to lay down arms," Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told state radio, describing a Batasuna document proposing Northern Ireland-style talks without violence as "more of the same".

Spanish newspapers were also dismissive of the Batasuna initiative, announced on Saturday, which they attributed to the weakness of the Basque nationalist movement.

El Pais, in terms similar to those used in other Madrid-based newspapers, said the proposal showed government policy was on the right track, adding: "... At least one sector of Batasuna already knows that there will be no political negotiation and that they won´t be legalised without previously giving up arms, unconditionally and unilaterally."

Batasuna called on Saturday for "a (non-violent) process of negotiation between ETA and the Spanish state which deals with the demilitarisation of the country".

It stopped short of condemning guerrilla violence, something that has proved the main hurdle to any new peace initiatives with the Spanish government and opposition parties.

It is also the reason why Batasuna, which seeks independence for the northern Basque region, is outlawed.

The last Basque peace effort began in March 2006 and ended abruptly less than a year later when a bomb exploded at Madrid airport, killing two people.

ETA has killed about 800 people over four decades and supporters often cite parallels with Northern Ireland, something its opponents reject as inappropriate because of the high degree of Basque regional autonomy.