President-elect Hails ETA Ceasefire Pledge
President-elect Oscar Arias on Thursday described the permanent ceasefire announcement by Spain's Basque separatist organization ETA as "an historic event."

Arias, a Nobel Prize Peace winner, told reporters that the whole world would be pleased with ETA's decision, for  "violence cannot solve any problem."

Arias expressed renewed hope that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would also declare a ceasefire with the aim of reaching national reconciliation.

ETA, a Basque acronym meaning "Basque Homeland and Liberty," has been fighting for four decades for independence for the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. The group announced its ceasefire on Wednesday.

Arias, will be sworn in on as president on May 8, taking over from Abel Pacheco.