Foreign minister tells BBC independence needs more adherents to “claim international support”

Catalonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernest Maragall believes that the independence movement “will have no right to claim international support” until it surpasses the threshold of “at least 50%” of the public in favor of secession from Spain.

In an interview on the BBC's ‘HardTALK’ program, Maragall said that “widening the [support] base” is one of the Catalan government's aims and, he said, to achieve it will “need time” and “a stable, credible government.”

In fact, the foreign minister was confident that the independence movement is capable of winning more public support, pointing out that no more than a decade ago those in favor of a Catalan state "did not exceed 20%."

"Common united strategy” needed before verdict

Maragall also said the pro-independence parties need “to express our common united strategy” before the verdict on political leaders on trial over last year's independence referendum, and he insisted that “a reaction” to the verdict will also be “necessary.”