Catalan president calls for dialogue and mediation

Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, has insisted in an official statement on the need for “mediation” in the conflict between Catalonia and Spain. He also reiterated the Catalan government’s willingness to accept one of the offers of mediation so far put forward.  

“Peace, dialogue and agreement are part of the political culture of our people, but we have not received any positive response from Spain to any of the mediation options that are already on the table,” the president said.

Puigdemont added that “it is seriously irresponsible not to attend to the requests sent by people within and outside Catalonia. People want this conflict to be solved politically and not through the use of police force.”

Referring to the televised statement made by the Spanish king on Tuesday, Puigdemont said  the monarch had disappointed “many people in Catalonia” because “they expected another tone and an appeal for dialogue.”