Page 8 - ARUBS TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 11 OctOber 2017

Catalan leader stakes claim to independence, then delays it

greatest level of uncertain- ers.”
ty seen yet.” In his remarks, Puigdemont
One of the government’s was highly critical of the
options at the Wednesday Spanish government’s re-
meeting could be to set sponse to the referendum
about applying Article 155 and the violent police re-
of the Constitution, which action that left hundreds
allows the central govern- injured on voting day, but
ment to take some or to- said Catalans have noth-
tal control of any of its 17 ing against Spain or Span-
regions that don’t comply iards, and that they want
with their legal obligations. to understand each other
This would begin with a better.
Cabinet meeting and a “We are not criminals, we
warning to the regional are not crazy, we are not
government to fall into line. pulling off a coup, we are
Then, the Senate could not out of our minds. We
be called to approve the are normal people who
measure. want to vote,” he said.
Puigdemont also could be Opposition leader Ines Ar-
called in for questioning in rimadas of the Ciutadans
court and possibly arrest- (Citizens) party slammed
Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont signs an independence declaration document the speech.
after a parliamentary session in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. Puigdemont says he ed.
has a mandate to declare independence for the northeastern region, but proposes waiting “a few Following his speech, the “This is a coup. Nobody has
weeks” in order to facilitate a dialogue. Catalan leader was the recognized the result of the
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) first to sign the document referendum. Nobody in Eu-
By ARITZ PARRA dum gave his government consider the referendum titled “Declaration of the rope supports what you
JOSEPH WILSON the grounds to implement or its results to be valid. Representatives of Catalo- have just done,” she said.
Associated Press its long-held desire to break Spanish Deputy Prime Min- nia.” “The majority of Catalans
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) century-old ties with Spain. ister Soraya Saenz de Sant- Dozens of other separatist feels they are Catalans,
— Catalan separatists on But he proposed that the amaria said an emergency lawmakers signed it after Spanish and European. ...
Tuesday signed what they regional parliament “sus- Cabinet meeting had been him. We won’t let you break our
called a declaration of in- pend the effects of the in- called for Wednesday. The signatories said the hearts into bits,” Arrimadas
dependence from Spain to dependence declaration The Catalan leader document was a full dec- said.
cheers and applause in the to commence a dialogue, “doesn’t know where he is, laration of independence. Socialist leader Miquel Ice-
regional parliament. not only for reducing ten- where he is going and with Joan Barcelo, a research- ta also was highly critical.
Catalonia’s president said sion but for reaching an whom he wants to go,” she er on political conflicts at “You are proposing to sus-
he would delay imple- accord on a solution to go said. Washington University in pend a declaration that
menting it for several weeks forward with the demands Saenz de Santamaria said St. Louis, said the mixed hasn’t been made, that’s
to give dialogue a chance. of the Catalan people.” the government couldn’t messages sent by Puigde- pretty tough,” he said with
Spain, however, called an “We have to listen to the accept the Catalan gov- mont’s speech did little in irony, adding that “you
emergency Cabinet meet- voices that have asked ernment’s validation of its his effort to rally interna- can’t claim a mandate
ing for Wednesday morn- us to give a chance for referendum law because it tional support. from the Oct. 1 vote ... a
ing and gave little indica- dialogue with the Spanish is suspended by the Consti- “It’s a mess and a mistake vote that had no guaran-
tion it is willing to talk. state,” Puigdemont said. tutional Court, or the results in political communication tees.”
In his highly anticipated The central government in of the Oct. 1 vote because strategy,” Barcelo said. Puigdemont’s speech
speech, regional President Madrid responded that it it was illegal and void of “He was trying not to marked a critical point in
Carles Puigdemont said did not accept the decla- guarantees. burn bridges to dialogue, a decade-long standoff
the landslide victory in a ration of independence by She said Puigdemont had but he’s going to create between Catalan sepa-
disputed Oct. 1 referen- the separatists and did not put Catalonia “in the doubts among his support- ratists and Spain’s central
authorities. Security was
Russia, Algeria vow to push oil production cuts tight in Barcelona and po-

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — the two countries reiter- other oil-producing coun- Ouyahia said “the vital lice cordoned off a park
surrounding the legislative
The prime ministers of Rus- ated their commitment tries, notably better efforts interests of our two coun- building.In Brussels, Europe-
sia and Algeria want fur- to last year’s agreement to ensure signatories are tries converge on the sub- an Council President Don-
ther global efforts to coor- among OPEC and other complying. ject of hydrocarbons. ald Tusk pleaded directly
dinate oil production cuts oil producers to curb out- Both the Russian and Al- ”Medvedev also over- with the Catalan leader-
to push up prices.During put. gerian economy have saw the signing of a raft ship ahead of the speech
a visit to Algiers on Tues- He said they want to “pur- struggled since oil prices of economic agreements to choose dialogue rather
day, Russian Prime Minis- sue these efforts”and dis- fell in recent years.Alge- and discussed counterter- than a divisive call for inde-
ter Dmitry Medvedev said cuss future options with rian Prime Minister Ahmed rorism cooperation.q pendence. q