Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 12 OcTOber 2017
Spain gives ultimatum to Catalonia: Back down or be punished

By CIARAN GILES tion between democratic
ARITZ PARRA law and disobedience and
Associated Press unlawfulness,” Rajoy said,
MADRID (AP) — Spanish au- throwing the ball back to
thorities gave Catalonia’s the Barcelona-based Cat-
separatist leader five days alan authorities for the next
to explain whether his am- move.
biguous statement on se- If Puigdemont replies before
cession was a formal dec- Monday that he indeed
laration of independence proclaimed independence
and warned Wednesday with his Tuesday announce-
that his answer dictated ment, he would have three
whether they would apply more days to rectify the
never-used constitutional situation, according to a
powers to curtail the re- formal demand submitted
gion’s autonomy. by the central government
Threatening to invoke a Wednesday. That would
section of the Spanish Con- mean abandoning imple-
stitution to assert control mentation of the declara-
over the country’s rogue tion Catalan separatist law-
region, Prime Minister makers signed establishing
Mariano Rajoy said Cata- a new Catalan republic,
lan president Carles Puig- the government said.
demont’s response to the A refusal to backtrack or
central government’s ulti- Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy speaks during a press conference at the Moncloa Palace providing no response will
in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. The Spanish Cabinet met in Madrid Wednesday to
matum would be crucial in work out its response to an announcement from the head of the wealthy Catalonia region that he lead Madrid to trigger Ar-
deciding “events over the was proceeding with a declaration of independence, further fueling Spain’s worst political crisis ticle 155 of the Spanish
coming days.” in decades. Constitution, which allows
Puigdemont announced (AP Photo/Paul White) central authorities to take
on Tuesday that he was us- and internationally — by order was illegal and part can be proud of the im- some or total control of any
ing the victory in a banned provoking another tough of a strategy “to impose age” Spain has projected of the country’ 17 regions if
Oct. 1 referendum to pro- response from Rajoy’s Cab- independence that few to the rest of the world with they rebel or don’t comply
ceed with a declaration of inet. Spanish police used want and is good for no- the referendum. Lawyers, with their legal obligations.
Catalan independence, force to try to stop the ref- body.” civil society groups and The measure has never
but proposed freezing its erendum vote, producing The ensuing crisis, he said, politicians in Catalonia and been invoked during the
implementation for a few images that elicited sym- was “one of the most diffi- elsewhere in Spain have of- nearly four decades since
weeks to allow for dialogue pathy for the separatists. cult times in our recent his- fered to mediate between the 1978 Constitution re-
and mediation with the Speaking in the national tory.” the two sides, but the prime stored democracy in post-
government in Madrid. parliament in Madrid on Rajoy, whose government minister rejected the of- dictatorship Spain. The cen-
His equivocal position Wednesday, Rajoy said the has been under fire for the fers. He said he refused to tral government “wants to
seemed designed to ap- referendum Catalonia’s police violence, blamed engage in dialogue with a offer certainty to citizens,”
pease the most fervent regional parliament and the Catalan separatists for disobeying Catalan gov- Rajoy said, adding that it
separatists, but also to build Puigdemont’s government inciting recent street pro- ernment. was “necessary to return
support —both in Catalonia held in violation of a court tests and said that “nobody “There is no possible media- tranquility and calm.” q

UK finance chief: Worst-case Brexit could ground all flights

By JILL LAWLESS body believes that is where Hammond was answering
Associated Press we will get to.” He said questions from lawmak-
LONDON (AP) — A worst- uncertainty about Brexit is ers, a day after the Inter-
case Brexit scenario could weighing on the economy, national Monetary Fund
see all air traffic between and “we need to remove downgraded its forecast of
the U.K. and the European it as soon as possible by U.K. economic growth to
Union grounded the day making progress” in talks 1.7 percent this year and
after Britain leaves the with Brussels. Hammond 1.5 percent in 2018. Britain
bloc on March 29, 2019, said there was a “need for was the only major econo-
Britain’s finance minister speed” from the 27 other my not to have its forecast
said Wednesday. Philip EU nations. “We are being raised by the IMF.
Hammond said he consid- affected by uncertainty A fifth round of negotiations
ers that outcome highly around the negotiating is being held this week, with
unlikely, but he said there process we are engaged talks bogged down in de-
must be rapid progress on in at the moment,” Ham- tails of the divorce settle-
divorce negotiations to Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond answers mond said. “There is plenty ment, including the amount
stop uncertainty acting as questions at the parliamentary Commons Treasury Select of anecdotal evidence of money Britain owes the
a dampener on the British Committee in London on Wednesday Oct. 11, 2017. Hammond that businesses and con- bloc. Hammond said the
said a worst-case Brexit scenario could see all air traffic between
economy. Leaving the EU the U.K. and the European Union grounded the day after Britain sumers are waiting to see government is “planning
means untangling four de- leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019. what the outcome is, or at for all scenarios including a
cades of laws, regulations (PA via AP) least what the direction of no-deal scenario” in which
and agreements covering Hammond said it’s con- and the European Union on travel is, before firming up divorce talks end without a
everything from food stan- ceivable “there will be no the 30th of March 2019, but investment decisions and deal on trade, security and
dards to aviation. air traffic between the U.K. I don’t seriously think any- consumption decisions.” other relations.q