Madrid ( CNN ) -- Spanish Interior Minister Antonio Camacho warned Friday that although the Basque separatist group ETA has declared an end to violence , the most difficult task still lies ahead -- ensuring no Spaniards suffer the threat of terror attacks in the future . His remarks come a day after ETA announced a `` definitive cessation of its armed activity '' in a statement published on the website of Gara , a newspaper the group has used to convey messages in the past . ETA is blamed for hundreds of deaths in its decades-long fight for an independent Basque state that it wants carved out of sections of northern Spain and southwestern France . Speaking Friday on Spanish National Television , Camacho said : `` We have completed a first part of our task , ( but ) there remains the more complex one , guaranteeing through the strict enforcement of our laws that never again will any generation of Spaniards have to suffer on their backs the weight of a barbarity that slows down our progress and compromises our future . '' He said ETA had been defeated `` by the tireless and unstoppable work of the police and the civil guard '' and that as a result it had been forced to declare an end to violence without achieving a single one of its aims . The security services had achieved that outcome `` with tenacity , with work , with dedication , and above all , with a lot of suffering , '' he said . U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Friday that ETA 's announcement `` holds out the prospect of a historic step toward peace , although there is a long road ahead to realize this promise . '' He paid tribute to the victims of ETA violence , adding : `` We recognize the courage of the Spanish government and the Spanish people in their enduring efforts to advance democracy and freedom in Spain and around the world . '' `` The Spanish people have endured over 40 years of violence at the hands of ETA , '' said the spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . `` The secretary-general shares in the hope that ETA is committed to bringing this tragic chapter for Spain to an end . '' European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed the development as `` a truly historic moment which ends years of terror and attacks on Spanish society . '' The news `` marks the culmination of years of unceasing efforts in the fight against terrorism , '' he said , congratulating Spain on its efforts to combat ETA . Police have cracked down in recent years on ETA in Spain and France , leaving it operationally weak . There have been numerous statements from the Basque group calling for talks or a peace process of some sort , but all falling short of declaring a definitive end to violence . The Spanish government said that since ETA has broken cease-fires in the past ; only an authoritative statement that it is putting down its arms for good will do . Thursday 's announcement followed a recent push for the group to abandon violence permanently . That effort was led by international figures who include Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams of Northern Ireland and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan . In a nationally televised address hours after the announcement was posted , Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero termed ETA 's announcement as being of `` transcendental importance '' and a `` victory for democracy . '' `` Ours will be a democracy without terrorism , but not without memory , '' Zapatero said , referring to 829 people killed by ETA and their families . The prime minister praised Spanish police , Civil Guard personnel , the intelligence agency and judicial authorities `` who have contributed to this end . '' Zapatero also singled out France -- which has traditionally been used as a rearguard base for ETA -- and its president , Nicolas Sarkozy , for their assistance . The prime minister said that it would be up to Spain 's next government -- which will be formed after parliamentary elections on November 20 -- to lead the peace process . In remarks Thursday night at their respective political party headquarters in Madrid , the two main contenders to replace Zapatero -- Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba , the candidate from Zapatero 's Socialist Party , and Mariano Rajoy , leader of the opposition People 's Party -- cheered the development but did not detail what they would do next if they were to become prime minister . In its statement Thursday , ETA -- which is listed as a terrorist organization by Spain , the United States and the European Union -- outlined why now was the right time to make such a declaration . `` A new political time is emerging in the Basque Country , '' ETA said . `` We have a historic opportunity to find a just and democratic solution for the centuries-old political conflict . '' The group then added that `` dialogue and agreement '' should predominate `` over violence and repression . '' ETA urged the Spanish and French governments to conduct `` direct dialogue '' aimed at addressing outstanding issues while calling upon fellow Basques to commit to such a process . CNN 's Al Goodman and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report .
Spain 's interior minister says there is still work to do to prevent future terrorism . The Spanish government has been under pressure from the European Union and human rights groups for months over its handling of a series of terror attacks in recent years that killed more than 100 people. It has been fighting for an independent Basque state in parts of Spain and France .