Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 5 OcTOber 2017

Catalan officials mull independence; Spanish stocks sink

nizing the referendum.” tailer Inditex and leading
Puigdemont will address energy companies Repsol,
the regional parliament Iberdrola and Gas Natu-
Monday to review the dis- ral also suffered significant
puted vote — a session losses.
that his parliamentary sup- The crisis in Spain became
porters in the radical CUP Sunday when some 900
group say they will consid- people needed medi-
er the independence dec- cal attention after police
laration. cracked down to try to
“We held the referendum prevent the vote.
amid unprecedented re- Over 400 police also had
pression and in the fol- bruises. On Tuesday, huge
lowing days we will show crowds held street protests
our best face to apply in Catalonia, and unions
the results of the referen- staged a strike to protest
dum,” Puigdemont said on the police’s actions.
Wednesday. It’s anybody’s guess what
His televised address mir- might happen if the pros-
rored a speech 24 hours perous northeastern re-
earlier by Spanish King Fe- gion does actually try to
lipe VI. secede. Spain could in-
President of the Catalan parliament Carme Forcadell, center, attends a meeting with parliament Accusing him of follow- tervene to take over the
representatives at the Catalonia Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. Cata- regional government; it
lonia’s regional government is mulling when to declare the region’s independence from Spain ing Rajoy’s “catastrophic”
in the wake of a disputed referendum that has triggered Spain’s most serious national crisis in policies toward Catalonia, could even declare a state
decades. Puigdemont addressed of emergency and impose
(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) the king directly, telling martial law.
By ARITZ PARRA The yearslong tension Soraya Saenz de Santama- him: In a nationally televised
CIARAN GILES peaked on Sunday when ria, said, responding to the “You have disappointed address Tuesday night,
Associated Press police used force to dis- remarks Puigdemont made many Catalans.” King Felipe VI came out
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — perse voters in a referen- in a televised address late Rajoy’s conservative gov- strongly against Catalan
Catalonia’s regional gov- dum that Spain’s Constitu- on Wednesday. ernment has declared the authorities, criticizing their
ernment on Wednesday tional Court had ordered European leaders have referendum illegal and “irresponsible conduct.”
mulled when to declare shelves while assessing its sided with Spain and, amid invalid, and pledged to The Spanish state, he went
the region’s indepen- legality. fears that Catalonia’s se- respond with “all neces- on, needed to ensure con-
dence from Spain, with Politicians in other parts cession bid could find sary measures” to counter stitutional order and the
some lawmakers saying it of Spain and a handful of echoes elsewhere on the Catalan defiance, without rule of law in Catalonia,
would happen Monday. civil groups have offered continent, the European revealing how it intends to the richest region of Spain.
Spanish stocks sank as the to try to bridge the divide Union has so far refused to do so. Catalan authorities say
country grappled with its between the two sides, step in. Led by losses for the two some 2.3 million people —
most serious national crisis but Prime Minister Mariano European Commission Vice main Catalan banks, less than half the region’s
in decades. Rajoy says no dialogue President Frans Timmer- Spain’s main stock market electorate — voted in the
Catalan president Carles can take place outside of mans stressed on Wednes- index lost almost 3 percent- referendum Sunday.
Puigdemont again urged the country’s constitution, day the need for Spain age points in Wednesday’s Many of those opposed
the government to accept which doesn’t include pro- and Catalonia to talk with trading amid uncertainty to independence are
mediation in the political visions for a region to se- each other, but said there over how the secession bid thought to have stayed
deadlock between Spain’s cede. is a “general consensus will proceed. at home after the refer-
authorities and the leaders “Mr. Puigdemont has been that regional government Other Spanish banks, tele- endum was ordered sus-
of the wealthy northeastern outside of the law for way of Catalonia has chosen to communications giant pended by a Spanish
region of some 7.5 million. too long,” Rajoy’s deputy, ignore the law when orga- Telelefonica, fashion re- court. Of those who voted,
some 90 percent backed
Venezuela’s Maduro visits Russia, meets with Putin independence, according
to Catalan officials.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian ing through uneasy times” requires Maduro to step for political and diplomatic The route to becoming in-
President Vladimir Putin has and credited Maduro with down. However the em- support and also hailed dependent won’t be easy
hosted Venezuelan Presi- “succeeding in establishing battled socialist has shown Russian wheat deliveries. for Catalonia. The region
dent Nicolas Maduro, hail- some contact” with oppo- no sign of ceding power Addressing an energy con- doesn’t have any power
ing him for reaching out to sition forces. and accused opponents ference in Moscow earlier over defense, foreign af-
the opposition. Venezuela’s opposition in- of plotting with the U.S. to Wednesday, Maduro said fairs, taxes, ports or air-
Speaking at the start of sists that any solution to the remove him by force. his government could dis- ports, all of which are in
their Kremlin talks, Putin not- nation’s protracted eco- During the Kremlin meet- cuss restructuring its $1 bil- the hands of the Madrid
ed that “Venezuela is go- nomic and political crisis ing, Maduro thanked Putin lion debt to Russia.q government. q