March 7 (Reuters) - The Spanish government blamed Basque separatists ETA for the assassination of a former councillor from the ruling Socialist party on Friday, two days before the country's election.

Following are five facts about ETA:

-- ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque Country and Freedom) is fighting for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France.

-- Spain, the United States and the European Union list ETA as a terrorist organisation. The group has killed more than 800 people since 1968, typically with car bombs or shootings.

-- More than 750 suspected ETA members have been detained since 2000.

-- Both socialist and conservative governments have tried to negotiate with ETA. Current Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero started peace talks after ETA declared a ceasefire in March 2006 but called them off when the separatists killed two people later that year.

-- Spain has banned Basque political party Batasuna for being ETA's political wing, an allegation the party denies. This year, Spanish courts banned two other Basque parties from taking part in a national election due on March 9.

For a story on Friday's shooting, please click on [ID:nL07797738]

For a chronology of ETA attacks, please click on [ID:nL07624740]

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

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