The Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has said his government will begin talks with the banned Basque separatist group, ETA.
His statement in parliament was broadcast live on Spanish television.
Zapatero, a socialist, will face resistance from the opposition conservative Popular Party, which immediately rejected the negotiations with the group.
ETA, which is demanding Basque independence, declared a permanent ceasefire on 22 March.
ETA's ceasefire came after police in Spain and France arrested hundreds of suspects since 2000 and weakened its armed struggle for independence for the Basque Country, which straddles northern Spain and southwest France.
Polls show most Basques do not want to be independent and ETA's tactics were undermined by growing public revulsion against violence since Islamist train bombings in Madrid in 2004.
