11.  Separatists claim it is central to the independent Basque state they want to create that would also include parts of southern France.

12.  The group is fighting to create an independent Basque state.

13.  The independent Basque state that ETA says it wants would include Navarra and Basque parts of southwest France, in addition to the three Basque provinces of northern Spain.

14.  The neighboring Navarra region, which has many Basque speakers, was included in the strike call because separatists want to incorporate it into a future Basque state.

15.  ETA has been waging an armed campaign for the past four decades to create a Basque state comprising four Spanish provinces and parts of southwest France.

16.  ETA, which stands for Basque Homeland and Freedom, is fighting to create an independent Basque state in northern Spain.