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WORLD NEWS Saturday 23 december 2017

Catalan vote does little to clarify Spanish region’s future

By BARRY HATTON weeks ago to avoid being
ARITZ PARR arrested on possible rebel-
Associated Press lion and sedition charges,
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — ex-Catalan President Car-
Spain’s worst political crisis les Puigdemont said he
in decades showed few would talk with Rajoy un-
signs of abating Friday after der one condition — their
Catalan separatist parties meeting would have to be
clinched a parliamentary outside Spain. Even with
majority in an exception- Puigdemont campaigning
al election called by the from Belgium, his Together
country’s prime minister, for Catalonia party snared
who remained steadfast in 34 of the regional parlia-
his refusal to consider inde- ment’s 135 seats, making it
pendence for the prosper- the most popular separatist
ous region. party. As the leading sepa-
The outcome of Thursday’s ratist candidate, Puigde-
election, in which an anti- mont could try to become
secession party also made president of Catalonia
its best showing to date, again. The new parliament
did yield a sign of possible would not be able to elect
movement: Prime Minis- him for the post unless he
ter Mariano Rajoy and the returns to Barcelona, the Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during a media conference in Brussels on
pro-independence region- regional capital, but he is Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Ousted Catalan president Charles Puigdemont addressed the media on
al president he removed likely to be arrested when Friday, a day after regional elections in Spain.
from office said they were he turns up on Spanish soil. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
ready to talk. The election results none- embarrassment for the mont said, referring to the based on dialogue” was
However, the two men theless strengthened Puig- prime minister who took election results. “Recogniz- beginning in Catalonia. He
made clear they were demont’s hand, as sepa- unprecedented steps to ing reality is vital if we are also set out a condition of
working off different sets of ratist politicians won 70 of put down the Catalan in- to find a solution.” Rajoy his own for any talks: sepa-
presumptions for a poten- the parliament seats alto- dependence movement. ignored his adversary’s ratist officeholders must
tial dialogue. gether. Rajoy’s conserva- “More than 2 million people appeal for a meeting, de- abide by the Spanish Con-
Speaking from Brussels, tive Popular Party secured are in favor of Catalonia’s claring instead that the stitution, which says the
where he fled nearly eight just three seats, a major independence,” Puigde- election show a “new era country is “indivisible.”q

Johnson on first Moscow visit by UK top diplomat in 5 years

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV desire to work together that they are obstructions terference in the June 2016 cessful.”
Associated Press when national interests in our relationship at the vote. Unwilling to yield ground,
MOSCOW (AP) — Brit- align. moment,” Johnson said “Not successfully, I think is Lavrov snapped: “Lack of
ish Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is the U.K.’s first at the start of his talks with the word,” Johnson imme- action can never lead to
Johnson visited Moscow foreign secretary to visit Lavrov. “But we mustn’t let diately intervened. any result,” adding that
Friday, mixing calls for co- Moscow in more than five ourselves be defined by Lavrov retorted that his Brit- Moscow was waiting to see
operation on global secu- years. Russia and Britain these problems.” ish counterpart needed to Britain’s proof of Russian
rity challenges with sparring have collided on a range Their news conference publicly argue with him to meddling.
over allegations of Russian of issues, including the 2006 gave the two diplomats an safeguard his reputation at Lavrov acknowledged that
meddling in Britain’s vote to poisoning death in London opportunity to spar briefly home. relations between the two
leave the European Union. of ex-Russian spy Alexander over the allegations that “Sergei, it’s your reputation countries are at a “very low
Despite an acerbic ex- Litvinenko and the Ukrai- Russia was interested in I’m worried about,” John- point.”
change between Johnson nian crisis. seeing Britain leave the EU. son said as Lavrov laughed. He emphasized that while
and Russian Foreign Minis- “It’s important to talk about Lavrov said Johnson has “You should recognize that British and other Western of-
ter Sergey Lavrov, both dip- these things and to be frank acknowledged that there Russian attempts to inter- ficials like to publicly air their
lomats expressed a strong about them and to accept was no proof of Russian in- fere ... haven’t been suc- grievances about Russia.q