Catalonia Continues Negotiations Despite Puigdemont's Arrest

On Monday, Catalonia's President Pere Aragones refused that the arrest of pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont could affect the ongoing dialogue with the Spanish government.

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"My commitment with a negotiated solution to the conflict remains," he said. However, he recognizes that there may be occasions that would lead either the Catalan or Spanish governments to end negotiations prematurely.

Aragones emphasized that a political conflict such as the one between Catalonia and Spain only "will end up being resolved in a negotiated manner." Therefore, he expressed his support for continuing talks with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to defend the primary condition set by the Catalan side, namely, to hold an independence referendum.

Moreover, Catalonia's President also avoided linking Puigdemont's arrest in Italy with an alleged operation launched by Sanchez's government to force his extradition.

In his view,  Spanish Executive did not know that Italian authorities were intercepting the Catalan leader on his arrival in Italy. The only institution the Catalans holds responsible for undermining the dialogue is the Spanish judiciary.

"We see that the Judicial apparatus in Spain maintains its repressive path, and the Spanish government cannot pretend it has nothing to do with it," stated Aragones.

Every time there is a progress in the negotiations, the Judiciary implements actions so that the Catalan conflict is not resolved through political dialogue but through criminal proceedings. Aragones reiterated that the amnesty to the pro-independence leaders is a necessary aspect to resolve the disputes.