SPAIN SAYS ‘ALL OPTIONS’ OPEN IN CATALONIA REFERENDUM NEGOTIATIONS
PM Rajoy vows to prevent independence bid
NEWDELHI/MADRID: Spain’s government vowed to examine “all options” on Wednesday in a crisis cabinet meeting hours after Catalonia’s leaders said they had a mandate to declare independence but put it on hold, plunging the country into uncertainty.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to do everything in his power to prevent the region’s independence in a dispute that has hurled Spain into its deepest political crisis in decades.
He has refused to rule out imposing direct rule over the semi-autonomous region -- a move many fear could lead to unrest.
Rajoy called an emergency meeting after Catalonia’s president Carles Puigdemont announced on Tuesday that he had accepted the mandate for “Catalonia to become an independent state” following a banned referendum.
But in a parliamentary speech that left many confused, Puigdemont immediately called for Catalonia’s independence to be suspended to allow for negotiations with the government.
On Wednesday, a source who refused to be named said “all options” were on the table as the crisis talks were under way.
Spain’s political establishment rounded on Puigdemont following his declaration of independence, while support among separatists in Catalonia was mixed after his speech.
The government stuck to its stance that it would not accept mediation or any talks until Catalan leaders drop their independence bid.
“Mr Puigdemont -- no one -can expect to impose mediation without returning to legality or democracy,” deputy prime minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria told reporters.
NO WORRIES FOR INDIAN TOURISTS: OFFICIALS
The pro-independence movement and political turmoil in Catalonia has not hit the number of Indian tourists making a beeline for Spain, Indian and Spanish officials said on Wednesday.
The Indian embassy in Madrid has not issued any special advisory for tourists travelling to Barcelona, a favourite with many Indian travellers since it was featured in the 2011 Bollywood hit Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
“We have not issued any special travel advisory but, as and when needed, it could be issued. We have also been receiving queries from Indian tourists about whether it is safe to visit Catalonia and we have told them there are currently no problems,” said an official at the Indian embassy.
An official of the Spanish embassy in New Delhi described the developments in Catalonia as a “domestic political issue”.