Puigdemont calls Rajoy for a two-month negotiation period

The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, asks the Spanish president, Mariano Rajoy, to stop the “repression” against Catalonia and calls for a two-month negotiation period. In a letter sent to Rajoy on Monday, Puigdemont makes a new call for dialogue after tensions between both governments peaked in the past few weeks. "We want to talk, which is what consolidated democracies," Puigdemont writes. “Let’s not allow the situation to get any worse,” he adds.

Yet, he does not make clear whether or not he declared independence when he addressed the Parliament last week to give the results of the October 1 referendum. Rajoy asked Puigdemont for clarifications and set today as the deadline, while threatening to suspend Catalonia’s self-rule if the answer was affirmative. A second deadline is set on Thursday.

"Firm intention to find the solution rather than generate confrontation"

In the message, Puigdemont insists on the need to open a dialogue. “The priority of my government is always to seek solutions by way of dialogue,” the letter reads. In addition, according to him, the fact that the independence declaration was suspended last week demonstrates the government's "firm intention to find the solution rather than generate confrontation”.

"Democratic mandate to declare independence"

Although he avoided giving a yes or no answer to Rajoy’s official request, Puigdemont stated that on October 1, “more than two million Catalans entrusted to the Parliament the democratic mandate to declare independence.” Furthermore, he reminds Madrid that “80% of citizens have repeatedly expressed their intention to decide their future by way of an agreed referendum.”