Spain’s Sanchez denies setting up meeting with Puidgemont to ‘normalise relations’

11 months ago 29

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has denied plans to meet Carles Puidgemont, leader of the Catalan pro-independence party JxCat, to ‘normalise’ relations, despite the latter’s party saying on Thursday that such a meeting would be held.

The announcement was made by JxCat Secretary General Jordi Turull, who told Spanish media on Thursday that the meeting, which has no fixed date, would take place abroad without the controversial international mediator chosen by both parties to oversee the negotiations.

“We have agreed to find a date and a place for them to meet. The important thing is that they meet and talk, in a meeting, as it should be, without photographs or party logos”, said Turull, adding that it is about “normalising a relationship and a negotiation between two presidents.”

According to Turull, the meeting that is being prepared between the two leaders will serve to “negotiate about (what Catalan separatist call) the political conflict” between Catalonia and Madrid.

But the decision to schedule such a meeting in the future was denied on Thursday by Spanish Education Minister and government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría (PSOE/S&D) and by Sánchez himself, who attended the summit in Brussels.

“I see my agenda, and what I have in it is a meeting with the President of the Generalitat (Catalan regional government), Pere Aragonés (of the pro-independence party ERC), on the 21st (…),” said the prime minister, EFE reported.

Sánchez insisted that his agenda was public and completely transparent and did not include any meeting with Puigdemont, who has been in self-exile in Waterloo near Brussels since 2017.

However, the fact his agenda does not include a meeting does not mean it will not happen, as Puidgemont said no date or time had been set.

The parliamentary backing of right-wing JxCat and its left-wing separatist rival Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) is vital to secure the stability of Sánchez’s coalition government with the left-wing Sumar platform, led by deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz.

To remain in power, Sánchez had to make generous concessions to both separatist parties, including the future approval of an amnesty law for those involved in the 2017 secessionist attempt in Catalonia, including Puigdemont, and for separatist actions committed in that Spanish region between 2012 and 2023.

Sánchez and Puigdemont were both in Strasbourg for the European Parliament’s plenary session on Wednesday, where Sánchez took stock of Spain’s six months at the helm of the EU Council presidency.

However, the two did not meet due to agenda issues, as the JxCat leader later explained.

(A. Juliani, J.M.Blanco, M. López, S. J. Sánchez |EFE | Fernando Heller |EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)