ERC calls on parties to negotiate “until the very last minute”

Barcelona (CNA).- “We can’t surrender before it is time. We must talk until the very last minute” stated left wing ERC’s leader and ‘Junts Pel Sí’ number five, Oriol Junqueras. He noted the “sacrifices” that ERC has made in order to reach the present situation and urged the current governing party liberal CDC and radical left CUP to “use up all the deadlines” as agreement “is still possible”. “Very complicated negotiations have been solved in a few days, even in a few minutes” he stated. According to Junqueras, it would be “irresponsible” to talk about elections and urged the other pro-independence forces “to be loyal to the country” and “try to find an agreement”. According to ERC’s leader, an agreement is better than “a scenario full of uncertainties” which would be elections in March. 

As number five of cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, Junqueras assured that Mas is still the coalition’s one and only candidate. “I’m not proposing myself as Catalan President nor have I asked Mas to step aside” stated Junqueras this morning in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio and nuanced that ERC didn’t put “any condition on reaching an agreement”. In fact, he stated that “it is not necessary for anybody to renounce anything extraordinary in order to reach an agreement”. However, he did note that “sacrifices” have been made by ERC. “We have always renounced everything” he stated.

“Solutions never come through reproaches”

Junqueras also put forward other comments on the negotiations between the pro-independence forces. ‘Junts Pel Sí’s number five called on those involved to“focus on reaching an agreement” and applying “the 27-S mandate”. “The way to negotiate is not to make public offers and then throw them at our heads” he stated “it is not to announce that they will not vote for whoever or saying that elections are the only thing they think about”. “Solutions never come through reproaches” he concluded.

“We can’t surrender before it is time”

Junqueras noted that “very complicated negotiations have been solved in a few days, even in a few minutes” and urged CDC and ERC to “talk until the very last minute”.“There are some days left. It is not only worth trying it, but it is our duty to do it” he stated and urged the pro-independence forces “to be loyal to the country” and “try to find an agreement”. 

It would be “irresponsible” to already talk about elections

Junqueras considers it “a mistake and irresponsible” to assume that there will be a call for new elections and warned that it would be “a scenario full of uncertainties”. “What guarantee do we have thatfrom the 6^th of March onwards we will have an easier scenario in terms of governability?”, he asked rhetorically. “We should not invest time in talking about elections, but trying to find an agreement”.