Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 18 January 2018
Catalan parliament reconvenes, elects pro-secession speaker

By JOSEPH WILSON ernment of Catalonia that
ARITZ PARRA is now in the hands of Ma-
Associated Press drid. He also said that, as
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) speaker, he would defend
— Catalonia’s new parlia- the right of “all 135 voices
ment on Wednesday elect- in the chamber,” including
ed a pro-secession speak- those fugitive or in jail.
er, virtually guaranteeing But Ciutadans leader Ines
that the push for indepen- Arrimadas criticized the
dence for Spain’s north- inaugural session, saying,
eastern region will continue “We start the legislature as
as its lawmakers prepare to we finished the last one,
elect a new government. with a parliament speaker
The opening session of the who is going to work only
new Catalan assembly for independence.”
came amid looming ques- However, she pointed out
tions about the role that fu- that things had changed
gitive and jailed politicians in the parliament because
will play within the cham- the secessionist bloc now
ber’s separatist major- had fewer seats and votes
ity and the future regional and the independence
government. stance had no internation-
Ousted Catalan leader al support.
Carles Puigdemont, who “No matter what happens,
fled to Belgium in October People cheer as they gather outside the Catalonia parliament during a parliamentary session in we are going to be the
Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. A new Catalan parliament is meeting following a
dodging a Spanish judicial botched secession attempt last year and amid looming questions about the role that fugitive and guarantors for Catalonia
probe over a foiled seces- jailed politicians will play in the chamber’s separatist majority. not to make any indepen-
sion attempt, wants to be (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) dence declaration,” she
reinstated to his old job. But on provisional charges of regional election on Dec. speaker’s election on a said.
he faces arrest if he returns rebellion or sedition. 21 in the hope of halting large outdoor screen. Although Arrimadas’ party
to Spain and legal hurdles Other former Cabinet the secession drive. Roger Torrent, a lawmaker won the most seats —36 —
if he wants to be voted in members and parliamen- But contrary to Madrid’s with the left-republican ERC unlike the secessionist bloc,
from abroad by the region- tary officials have been re- hopes, separatists regained party, was elected to head she lacks enough support
al assembly. leased from jail but remain their slim parliamentary the assembly’s governing to form a government.
Puigdemont’s and other under investigation. majority despite receiving committee that plays a key Torrent is tasked with choos-
empty seats in the parlia- Spanish central authori- less than half of the votes, role in deciding what issues ing a candidate to try to
ment were adorned with a ties took direct control of although Ciutadans (Citi- are debated and voted on form a government by the
yellow ribbon Wednesday. Catalonia following the zens) —a party that fiercely in parliament. end of the month. The two
Four ex-Cabinet members unilateral declaration of in- opposes independence— “I want democracy and secessionist parties back
sought by Spain’s Supreme dependence by separatist gained the most seats. coexistence to be the the candidacy of Puigde-
Court are also in Brussels lawmakers on Oct. 27. Several hundred people foundations of this term,” mont, but the former presi-
and three more elected Under special powers, rallied near the parliament Torrent told fellow lawmak- dent would first have to
lawmakers — including for- Spain fired Puigdemont’s in central Barcelona, wav- ers from the speaker’s po- get approval from Torrent’s
mer Catalan Vice President government, dissolved par- ing separatist flags as they dium, vowing at the same committee to vote and be
Oriol Junqueras— are jailed liament and forced a new watched the new house time to restore the self-gov- elected from abroad. q

Families of captive French jihadis sue to bring them home

By LORI HINNANT living in a war zone. Last week, prompted by
Associated Press Yet in an interview in Mon- Kurdish interviewers, French
PARIS (AP) — Six families day’s Liberation newspa- detainees Emilie Konig
of French jihadis captured per, France’s military chief and Thomas Barnouin ap-
during Islamic State’s re- Florence Parly said she sees peared on separate videos
treat filed a complaint no reason to bring French with nearly identical mes-
Wednesday demanding jihadis home for trial. She sages, insisting they are be-
that the government bring says only 20 returned to ing treated well by the mili-
them home, a week after a France last year, while Bel- tia holding them.
video of two notorious Eu- gium’s top security official The videos appeared in-
ropean extremists renewed has said only five of the tended to counter the al-
the debate over how hun- country’s foreign fighters legations that Kurdish mili-
dreds of foreign Islamic returned in 2017. tia, known as the People’s
State fighters should be “The pseudo-Caliphate no Defense Units, or YPG, were
handled. longer controls territory, but mistreating Islamic State
The complaint, filed by fam- this terrorist movement will This photo released on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 by the YPG recruits — including wom-
ilies of French women and without a doubt pursue its press office of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units shows French en — captured when the
children held by Kurdish mi- goals clandestinely,” Parly national Emilie Konig in a video. Konig is one of two notorious extremist group retreated.
French Islamic State members with roots in Europe’s networks of
litias, condemned what it said. “For those French who violent extremists are appearing on video with nearly identical They also lay the ground-
called “deliberate inertia” are detained in the Levant, messages, insisting they insisting they are being treated well by work for trials of Europeans
by French authorities, say- I remind you that these the Kurdish forces jailing them. by an entity that has no
ing it had left mothers and people took the initiative to (YPG press office via AP) internationally recognized
children — including infants join a terrorist organization bat in that zone, and that to seek to commit attacks government, much less le-
— vulnerable to the risks of that was engaged in com- committed and continues in France.” gal system.q