Basque party members arrested in Spain

Spanish police on Monday arrested at least 13 members of the outlawed Basque separatist party Batasuna in a crackdown on groups linked to the armed organization ETA before next month's elections.

The arrests, ordered by leading anti-terrorist Judge Baltasar Garzon, took place in the northern Basque region and neighboring Navarra, a National Court spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in keeping with court rules.

Reports that a 14th person had been arrested in the southern city of Cordoba could not immediately be confirmed.

About 20 senior members of Batasuna have been jailed in recent months.

In a parallel action, Garzon barred two other parties last week from political activity for three years on the grounds that they were linked to Batasuna. Neither will be able to enter candidates in general elections March 9.

Garzon's decision led to protests by several thousand people in the northern city of Bilbao on Sunday. Four people were arrested and at least one police officer was injured.

In 2003, the Supreme Court outlawed Batasuna on the grounds it was part of ETA. Police began arresting the party's members in October after ETA ended a unilateral cease-fire in the summer.

ETA has killed more than 800 people since the late 1960s in a campaign of shootings and bombings. It seeks an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwest France.