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WORLD NEWSSaturday 20 January 2018
Catalan ex-head to risk arrest, travel to Denmark
ARITZ PARRA
Associated Press
MADRID (AP) — Cata-
lonia’s former president,
a fugitive sought by Spain
over a foiled secession bid,
will travel to Denmark next
week for a university de-
bate despite the possible
risk of arrest, officials said
Friday.
Carles Puigdemont plans
to make the trip to Copen-
hagen as he tries to get his
old job back and step up
the pressure on Spanish au-
thorities, which have said a
fugitive abroad can’t be
the Catalan regional presi-
dent.
The University of Copenha-
gen announced a debate
for Monday in the Danish
capital on “Catalonia and
Europe at a Crossroads for
Democracy.”
Janni Brixen, a media of-
ficial with the university’s
Faculty of Social Science,
said Puigdemont would at-
tend it “in person.”
A spokeswoman for Puig-
demont’s party also con-
firmed that he was plan-
ning to travel to Copen-
hagen and attend the
debate “representing the
legitimate government of
Catalonia.”
Puigdemont is being inves-
tigated by Spain for pos-
sible rebellion, sedition and
embezzlement linked to a
unilateral declaration of
independence last fall in
the northeastern Spanish
region of Catalonia.
A Spanish Supreme Court
judge dropped an extra-
Belarus bristles at Kazak offer to host Ukraine talks
By Y. KARMANAU
Associated Press
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Be-
larus on Friday mocked Ka-
zakhstan’s suggestion that
it could serve as a new ven-
ue for Ukraine peace talks
previously hosted by Minsk.
Belarusian Foreign Minister
Vladimir Makei said in a
statement released to The
Associated Press that the
ex-Soviet nation “isn’t seek-
ing peacemaker’s laurels
unlike some others.”
He added that moving the
talks elsewhere wouldn’t
change anything.
“The negotiations’ venue
is hardly relevant,” Makei
France’s Macron
plans increase in
In this Jan 12, 2018 photo, ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, center, stands with elected defense budget
Catalan lawmakers of his Together for Catalonia party at a park in Brussels. Puigdemont will travel By S. PETREQUIN
Associated Press
to Denmark next week for a university debate, officials said Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 despite the pos- PARIS (AP) — French Presi-
dent Emmanuel Macron
sible risk of arrest. will boost defense spend-
ing in the coming years to
(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) guarantee his country’s
domestic security and
dition request to Belgium ment of the risk that the trip tempt led Spanish central maintain French military
engagement abroad, as
in December after it be- posed. The Danish Ministry authorities to take direct he repeated his wishes for
an increased European
came clear that authorities of Justice also refused to control of Catalonia, dis- military cooperation on Fri-
day.
in Brussels would probably comment. band its regional cabinet Addressing soldiers on-
board the assault ship Dix-
agree to send him back Puigdemont is seeking to and call an early regional mude off the naval base
of Toulon, Macron prom-
but would restricted the be back in charge of af- election. ised to increase spending
by 1.8 billion euros ($2.2 bil-
crimes that he could be fairs in Catalonia even if it The Catalan vote in De- lion) this year to 34.2 billion
($42 billion) euros.
judged for in Spain. is from self-imposed exile in cember failed to break the He also pledged to bring
defense spending to 2 per-
The separatist politician still Belgium. political deadlock, grant- cent of GDP —from about
1.8 percent currently — by
faces detention if he returns “If I have to choose be- ing separatists a slim par- 2025, in a move aimed at
“stopping the erosion of
to Spain, but is free to travel tween being an inmate or liamentary majority that in our military capacity.”
Six months after a crisis over
elsewhere unless the judge a president, I’d rather be a theory would allow them to cuts in the military budget
led to the appointment of
re-activates the European president, even from afar,” form a government. a new chief of staff of the
armed forces, Macron said
and international arrest he told Catalonia’s public But with ousted Catalan the financial effort was
“unprecedented.”
warrants against him. There radio Friday. Cabinet members under Last summer, Gen. Pierre
de Villiers submitted his res-
was no sign of that being in “At least now I can do investigation, jailed or in ignation after a clash with
Macron and was replaced
the works on Friday. things that I wouldn’t be Belgium and facing arrest by Gen. Francois Lecointre.
De Villiers had resisted 850
Lawyer Paul Bekaert, who able to do in prison,” he if they return home, the re- million euros ($1 billion) in
cuts to last year’s budget.
has represented Puigde- said, referring to the help gional parliament must de- Revealing that French
soldiers had rescued 106
mont in earlier extradition that “new technologies” cide by the end of January migrants off Libya coast
earlier this week, Macron
hearings in Belgium, de- could provide. whether to permit Puigde- praised French troops for
their involvement in cur-
clined to discuss his assess- The October secession at- mont’s re-election. q rent French overseas op-
erations, including Sahel,
Western Africa and Middle
East. “We have entered
said. helped reduce hostilities location. an era of great turbu-
“The negotiations on that have killed over 10,000 Asked to comment on the lence,” Macron said. “With
Ukraine could even be since April 2014, but clashes statements by Kazakh- globalization, our country’s
moved to Antarctica if between Ukrainian forces stan and Belarus, Russian interests are no longer lim-
there is a certainty about and Russia-backed sepa- President Vladimir Putin’s ited to our territory.
their success.” ratists have continued and spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, Sometimes, defending our
He added that for the talks attempts at political settle- said the adherence to the territory consists in fighting
to succeed it’s necessary ment have stalled. Minsk agreements is of pri- terrorists thousands of kilo-
that every party to the con- Kazakh President Nursultan mary importance and the meters away.”
flict sincerely aims to end Nazarbayev said Thursday choice of venue matters The budget for overseas
the bloodshed. that the Minsk talks were little. operations will be gradu-
Belarus has hosted a series deadlocked and suggest- The 2015 peace deal ally increased to reach 1.1
of negotiations to try to set- ed that his country could obliged Ukraine to offer billion euros ($1.3 billion)
tle the separatist conflict in host them. broad autonomy to the in 2020, compared to 450
eastern Ukraine that erupt- He said on a visit to the U.S. separatist regions and a million ($551 million) last
ed weeks after Russia’s an- that he discussed the issue sweeping amnesty to reb- year.q
nexation of Crimea in 2014. during a meeting with Pres- els. Most Ukrainian political
A 2015 agreement signed ident Donald Trump, add- parties rejected that idea
in Minsk that was brokered ing that Trump suggested as a betrayal of national
by France and Germany moving the talks to another interests.q