US will work with “whatever government or entity” that comes out of Oct 1

The United States would continue working with Catalonia even if it becomes independent. This is what can be implied from the State Department spokesperson’s statement on Wednesday about the current situation in Catalonia ahead of the October 1 referendum. “We will let the government and the people there work it out and we will work with whatever government or entity that comes out of it,” said the spokesperson, Heather Nauert. She added that the US sees the clash of wills between the Catalan and the Spanish governments as “an internal government matter”.  

The Catalan government is seeking observer missions to monitor the vote. Last week the minister of foreign affairs, Raül Romeva, met some representatives from a mission promoted by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). Led by the Dutch diplomat Daan Everts, the mission will consist of six experts from all over the world with experience in election and observation. “The Mission will be joined by 10 to 14 international Short-Term Observers, who will be deployed throughout Catalonia,” said the HCSS in a press release.

“We are in order to check on the quality of this whole process, the preparations and the conducts of the events on October 1,” said Everts after meeting Romeva. “We will be here working, speaking to all interested parties, institutions, individuals of all political colors. We have absolutely no preference one way or the other,” added Everts. According to the referendum law, electoral observer missions can be registered with the Catalan election board until September 25, six days before the vote. International individuals can also register as long as they are part of the academic community.