Spanish opposition decries judge's Basque party move

MADRID, Apr 29 (Reuters) Spain's opposition today criticised a judge's decision to declare legal a political party accused of links to Basque guerrillas ETA, saying the government was giving in to terrorists.

Spanish High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon said police reports showed the Basque National Action (ANV) party had no connection with ETA or political group Batasuna, which was banned four years ago for its links to ETA.

Spain's opposition accused the government of cutting a deal with ETA and Batasuna to let their candidates stand in local elections if they do not stage attacks and support the resumption of stalled peace talks.

With Spain's general election less than a year away, opinion polls show around 60 percent of Spaniards support renewed peace talks with the guerrillas and see attacks by ETA and terrorist groups as Spain's biggest problem.

''The government has commitments and agreements that tie it to a process strengthening the terrorists and weakening the democrats,'' opposition Popular Party leader Angel Acebes said today.

Batasuna wants to return to Spain's political stage as part of its push for an independent Basque state.

Its members cannot stand as Batasuna candidates until the party condemns ETA's four-decade fight for a Basque state in which it has killed over 800 people.

Zapatero called off a government-ETA peace process in December after the separatists exploded a car bomb in a car park at Madrid's Barajas airport and killed two men.

The attack, and Zapatero's decision to grant concessions to end an ETA prisoner's hunger strike, have sparked fierce government-opposition attacks in the run up to the 2008 election.

Basque politicians formerly allied to Batasuna are running in May local elections as candidates for the ANV and another Basque party, the ASB, according to Spain's press.

Garzon said the ANV itself is not linked to Batasuna and therefore legal.

''The government will apply to the letter the party law so that only those that respect the rules and the law take part in the elections,'' Zapatero said today.

REUTERS JS RAI2140