MADRID, May 7, 2008 (AFP) - The head of the Basque regional government plans to make a fresh proposal on the region's future to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a news report said Wednesday.

The Basque radio and television network EITB quoted a letter from Juan Jose Ibarretxe to Zapatero in which the Basque leader promised to make 'an open offer on a possible political pact' on the future of the wealthy but troubled northern region.

The letter did not reveal details of the offer, which Ibarretxe said he would like to present to Zapatero personally.

A government source told AFP that Zapatero had received a letter from Ibarretxe Wednesday, but did not reveal its contents, and added that the prime minister plans to schedule a meeting with the Basque leader.

Ibarretxe last year proposed a 'road map' for a new political framework for the region with the rest of Spain, including referendums on self-determination.

Zapatero immediately rejected the plan, and said any referendum would be unconstitutional.

But the Socialist prime minister has said he is open to the idea of more autonomy for the Basque Country, which already enjoys a high level of self-government.

Ibarretxe's proposal followed the failure of the government's peace process with the armed Basque separatist group ETA, which has killed more than 800 people in its nearly 40-year campaign for an independent Basque homeland.

His Basque National Party (PNV) suffered setbacks in Spain's general elections in March, losing to the Socialists in the Basque region for the first time.

The Basque Country is hold regional elections in April 2009 or before, in which Zapatero's Socialist Party hopes the PNV will be ousted.