Two bombs explode at Spanish army post

Two bombs exploded at a Spanish army post in the Pyrenees yesterday, causing serious damage but no injuries in what appeared to be an attack by Basque separatist guerrilla group ETA.

The bombs seriously damaged the roof and doors of the army post at Belagua, in the northern region of Navarre, a government statement said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in a remote area near the French border. However, the Madrid government's top representative in Navarre, Vicente Ripa, told state radio: "Some pamphlets were found scattered on the snow at the entrance to the shelter which carried the symbol of ETA."

ETA has attacked army bases in the past and claims Navarre as part of a Basque homeland. The bombs exploded a day before Batasuna, a Basque party banned last year for refusing to condemn ETA violence, is due to unveil a document which it says is its contribution to resolving the long-standing conflict in the Basque region.

The document, due to be made public today evening in San Sebastian, is being awaited with anticipation after signs that at least some members of ETA are pushing to end armed struggle. Branded a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, ETA has killed more than 800 people since 1968 in a bombing and shooting campaign for an independent state carved out of northern Spain and southwestern France.

In excerpts from the document, obtained by Basque radio, Batasuna says the region's nationalist left has a responsibility to "get the conflict off the streets and bring it to the negotiating table."

Reacting to the leaks about the document, Jose Blanco, spokesman for the ruling Socialist Party, said Batasuna had to reject violence if it wished to take part in politics. Batasuna denies official charges that it is the political wing of ETA.