Spain's armed Basque separatist group ETA said it will not 'carry out armed actions' in its campaign for independence, the BBC reported on Sunday. In a video obtained exclusively by the BBC, the group said it took the decision several months ago 'to put in motion a democratic process.' According to the report, ETA has been under pressure with leading members of the group arrested and growing calls from Basque political parties to declare a ceasefire. ETA has called two ceasefires in the past, but abandoned them both. Now it is unclear whether it is declaring a permanent or temporary ceasefire. The Spanish government has previously said it will only negotiate with ETA if it renounces violence. There has been no reaction yet from the Spanish government. ETA, formed in 1959, seeks the establishment of an independent Basque state in the Basque region straddling the Spanish-French border. Over the past four decades, assassinations, kidnappings and explosions carried out by the group have claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people. 