A Belfast priest who played a key role in the Irish peace process has revealed his involvement in the brokering of the permanent ceasefire announced by ETA yesterday.

Fr Alec Reid revealed yesterday that he been involved in talks with the the Basque separatist group and the Spanish government since 2003.

He said he ETA's ceasefire had been prompted by the success of the Irish peace process and believed the group would honour its decision to end its armed struggle.

ETA has killed around 800 people since launching a war for independence in Basque areas of northern Spain and southern France in the 1960s.

Fr Reid is regarded as one of the main players in the Irish peace process and was at the heart of talks that led to the IRA's ceasefires in 1994 and 1997, paving the way for the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

He was also one of the two clergymen who witnessed the completion of IRA decommissioning last year.

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