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News > World

Spain's Sanchez Urges Dialogue On Catalonia's Self-Governance

  • Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the state is interested in dialoguing with Catalan officials to resolve Spain’s political crisis.

    Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the state is interested in dialoguing with Catalan officials to resolve Spain’s political crisis. | Photo: Reuters

Published 3 September 2018
Opinion

"Regardless of what the Catalan government says, the government of Spain will not rise from the table of the bilateral commissions," the prime minister said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is in support of dialoguing with Catalonia about a referendum for an independent self-government, the head of government said Monday.

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Spain: Madrid Begins Talks With Catalan Independence Leaders

"We want to dialogue and resolve a political crisis, the final event must be a vote," the prime minister Sanchez told Ser Network news adding that the lack of vote participation in Catalonia has created a political issue and must be resolved with a new statute in the region.

"Regardless of what the Catalan government says, the government of Spain will not rise from the table of the bilateral commissions," the Prime Minister said.

The parliamentary head recommended the independence movement ought to practice some self-criticism to prepare to ‘transcend’ the layered dynamics, denounced the popular use of yellow kerchiefs- a symbol for Catalan independence- as a means to “divide and separate.”

“The independence movement ought to practice some self-criticism to prepare to ‘transcend’ the layered dynamics...A referendum for self-government, not for self-determination,” Sanchez said, noting that for the economic stability of the state a complete separation from Spain is impossible.

Sanchez did not rule out employing the controversial constitutional Article 155 which gives Madrid autonomous reign should a region declare independence, saying it would be a “perfectly constitutional and legitimate instrument to be able to relocate Catalonia in the Statute and the Constitution," Sanchez said.

Separatist leaders declared Catalonia independent last October after an outlawed independence referendum, prompting Madrid to impose direct rule and led to months of political limbo.

Former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government and the Spanish courts then declared secession illegal and vowed to block it. Rajoy said that constitutional direct rule "could be used again if necessary," if the next regional leadership did not respect the law.

Separatist parties won regional elections in December, but every leadership candidate picked by the separatist camp since has fallen flat.

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