Mas: Spain is punishing us for defending independence

Barcelona (CNA).- "Spain's executive is punishing Catalonia for defending political ideas which are pacific, democratic and respectful with Human Rights" stated this Tuesday Current Catalan President Artur Mas this Tuesday, "we are facing an institutional attack". Mas made such these statements before the media in referencering to the specific measures that Spain's government announced on Friday to control Catalonia's administration of their share of the Spanish Liquidity Point (FLA) funds. "Catalonia's autonomy and self-government are being taken over, after years of cutting them back" he warned. "This is really grave" he commented and added that the "the EU should be worried" about the fact that "democratically elected parliaments and pacific social movements are being attacked". Mas announced that from now on the government will act "in self-defensce" and will study all the political and legal responses to such "aggression".

Mas feels that "the Spanish People's Party executive" is "attacking" the Catalan population as a whole by cutting funds from the Spanish Liquidity Point (FLA). "This is a very sensitive area and affects all of us" he lamented. "We are facing an institutional attack" he stated "Spain's executive is punishing Catalonia for defending political ideas which are pacific, democratic and respectful of human rights". According to Mas, Spain's measures to fight against pro-independence forces are "really grave" and represent an attack on "democratically elected parliaments and pacific social movements". "The EU should be worried about that" he stated. 

"We have the right to act in self-defence" assured Mas and pointed out that the government will act "serenely, pacifically, but firmly" and adopt all the necessary measures to respond to such "aggressions".

Mas: It is a lie that 1,300 million euros were hidden

Current Catalan President also referred to the 1,300 million euros which according to the Spanish Finance Minister, Cristóbal Montoro, wasn't properly accounted for last year. "It is a flagrant lie" that the Catalan government "hid the 1,300 million euros" stated Mas and warned that Minister Montoro "will get burnt if he continues to play with fire". He made this statement in relation to those funds which are not reflected in the government's budget and named the investment in the Spanish High Speed Railway (AVE) and the controversial Castor Project, a submarine facility built to store 1.3 billion tons worth of gas reserves off the Ebro Delta coast, as examples. "Where is the debt from AVE's investment?" asked Mas and warned that Europe increasingly focuses on those investments which are not reflected in the public budgets. As soon as Brussels detects "such investments" the problems for the Spanish State and its deficit "will get worse" he predicted.

Montoro: the FLA conditions are only transparency measures

Spanish Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro accused Mas of playing the victim once again, which he described as "his specialty". According to Montoro, the special measures imposed on Catalonia’s access to the Spanish Liquidity Point (FLA) "aren't any aggression" but "transparency measures" which are not "that difficult to accomplish". "We ask the Catalan government to respond to the fundamental services" stated Montoro, who emphasised that "the ball is now on the Catalan Government's roof". The Spanish Finance Minister emphasised that it is "illegal" to use FLA funds "for political purposes".  

Rajoy: Catalan suppliers will get paid thanks to Spain's solidarity

Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, assured this Tuesday that Catalan government suppliers "should be calm" as they "will get paid" thanks to "Spain's solidarity". "They will get paid because they are entitled to it, and despite the ineffectiveness of those who have been recently ruling in Catalonia", he stated. However, he warned that the Spanish government won't fund "any administration" nor "expenses" which are "against the law". "Spain's government will guarantee national unity, sovereignty, equality and fulfilment of the law" he stated "I would rather not intervene but it doesn't depend on me alone" he concluded.

Negotiations to constitute a new government going "really slowly"

Mas pointed out that the best way to answer to Spain's "institutional attacks" would be to "enhance the social spectrum" of the pro-independence movement and make the process "irreversible". "We will focus on this" he said and added that "every time Spain's executive carries out such aggressions" more people get convinced that it is necessary to escape "from the State's machinery".

Mas admitted that he would rather respond to the Spanish executive’s "institutional attacks" with a solid and constituted government rather than a temporarily one. When asked about the negotiation process between pro-independence forces 'Junts Pel Sí' and CUP, Mas assured that the dialogue "is going really slowly" and admitted that "it is difficult to progress". "We are talking, it is going really slowly, but it is how it is and we are still within the deadlines" he assured "let's see if it goes forward".