U.S. cracks down on Basque separatists

O'Neill

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Treasury Department announced Tuesday it has moved to freeze the assets of 21 individuals who have ties to ETA, the Basque separatist group considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said the action was taken in close collaboration with the government of Spain and the European Union.

"The United States wholeheartedly welcomes this international cooperation," O'Neill said during a speech to Customs Service workers in Florida.

"It is our hope that other governments will take the lead in identifying terrorists and their supporters, so that together the civilized world can shut down their organizations and eradicate their sources of support," he said.

EXTRA INFORMATION Executive order and list of designated terrorists from the U.S. Department of the Treasury   IN-DEPTH SPECIAL Basque Conflict: Violence in Spain

ETA, whose initials stand for Basque Fatherland and Liberty, was founded in 1959. Its goal is winning independence for Basque provinces in northern Spain and southern France.

Since then, the group has been blamed for attacks since then that have killed more than 800 people. One of its most devastating attacks came last year, when a car bomb in Madrid wounded 90 people.

According to the Treasury Department, ETA's strength is unknown, but it may have hundreds of members and supporters.

The 21 people named in Tuesday's blocking order are all natives of the Basque region in Spain and are believed to have provided financial, material or technological support to ETA. They were cited in December by the European Union for their involvement in terrorist acts.

The Treasury Department's action is part of the vow made by President Bush following the September 11 terrorist attacks to pursue terrorist groups with a global reach.