Ban Ki-moon asks for talks regarding Catalonia’s self-determination claims

Barcelona (ACN).- “The United Nations respect self-determination processes” stated the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, when he was asked about Catalonia’s and Scotland’s self-determination processes during his official visit to Andorra on Tuesday. Ban Ki-moon urged all the political leaders to talk and find a negotiated and peaceful solution. “All the pending issues among countries have to be solved via peaceful means and through dialogue, respecting the genuine will of the affected people”, he stated. As opposed to the United Kingdom’s Government, the Spanish Executive currently refuses to even talk about Catalonia’s self-determination claims. These claims are backed by November’s electoral results and recent opinion polls. Furthermore, on the last Catalan National Day, 1.5 million people demonstrated in Barcelona asking for Catalonia’s independence from Spain.

“I make a call to the leaders throughout the world to use their political leadership and their capacities to solve all the conflicts through dialogue and peaceful means”, underlined Ban Ki-moon in Andorra, after having been asked about Catalonia’s self-determination process.

The first visit of a UN Secretary General to Andorra

Ban Ki-moon made the statements in Andorra, which he was visiting to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of its addition to the international organisation. This small country has Catalan as its official language and has been an independent state for the last 700 years, isolated between valleys in the Pyrenees. During the press conference made next to Andorra’s Prime Minister, Antoni Martí, Ban Ki-moon gave a brief welcome in Catalan: “Senyores i senyors, bon dia” (“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning”). It is the first time that a UN Secretary General had visited Andorra.

“Our [roots] are in the Catalan culture”

Martí underlined that in a globalised world, Andorra can offer the world its experience based on finding peaceful agreements. In addition, he stated that being connected “to the roots” is essential nowadays and he added: “ours are in the Catalan culture”.

Catalan language in the UN

Just after having voted for its first constitution, on the 28^th of July 1993, Andorra became the 184^th member of the United Nations. It is the third smallest member after Liechtenstein and San Marino. With the addition of Andorra, the Catalan language was officially used in the United Nations’ General Assembly. However, Catalan violoncello player Pau Casals, who composed the UN’s anthem, had already addressed a few words in Catalan before the Assembly in 1971, claiming Catalonia’s history and democratic tradition. Casals also denounced the persecution of the Catalan language and culture during Franco’s dictatorship and in other periods of the Spanish history.