Bolivian president Evo Morales is denying ties to the Basque separatist group ETA, responsible for last month’s bombing of a Madrid airport parking lot and the deaths of over 800 people since 1968. The statement was in response to allegations by a Spanish newspaper that the group was seeking sanctuary in Bolivia:

The Spanish newspaper El Correo had reported that a lawmaker from Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism party visited the Basque heartland in June and met with members of Batasuna, ETA’s political arm.

The lawmaker, Feliciano Vegamonte, did not respond to repeated attempts to reach him Tuesday.

A day earlier, he confirmed to a Bolivian TV station that he made the trip and met with “people from social movements” but was not aware of any ETA ties.

El Correo said that with Cuban leader Fidel Castro ailing, ETA fears it could lose the lone country that offers it sanctuary. So it is looking toward Bolivia as a possible alternative. The paper quoted unnamed Spanish security officials as its sources.

Morales stated that in the past he has been linked to the FARC, and that these allegations were also unfounded.

Via / CNN