Costa Rica Welcomes Madrid's decision for Peace Talks with ETA
Costa Rica supports the decision announced Thursday by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to launch peace talks with the armed Basque separatist group ETA, said the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Costa Rica welcomes all efforts aimed at eradicating extremism and achieving lasting peace through dialogue, vehemently condemning terrorist operations.

The Costa Rican government hopes that the process of peace negotiation launched by Zapatero will restore social peace and domestic security desired by all walks of life in Spain, it said.

Dialogue promotes mutual understanding, which has been demonstrated by President Oscar Arias' mediation efforts in settling regional conflicts in Central America in the 1980s, said the statement.