Spain rebs: World must now step in
CATALAN separatists called for international mediation with the Spanish government as they pushed ahead Monday with plans to declare unilateral independence this week after a violent police crackdown scarred a disputed secession referendum.
The referendum debacle only deepened Spain’s most serious political crisis since democratic rule was restored in 1978.
The violence on Sunday in the prosperous northeastern region left more than 890 civilians and 430 police injured when anti-riot squads moved into polling stations and dispersed voters. Shocking videos and photos showed police dragging people by the hair and kicking them.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said a regional parliamentary commission would investigate why Spain’s anti-riot squads fired rubber bullets and beat protesters in the independence referendum that Spain opposed.
He also urged the 5,000-strong contingent of special Spanish police forces deployed in Catalonia to leave immediately. Puigdemont called Monday for the European Union “to stop looking the other way” and urged Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to accept international mediation in the crisis.
Calls for restraint came from across Europe, including EU chief Donald Tusk, who appealed to Rajoy to “avoid further escalation and use of force” while agreeing that the independence vote was invalid. A POLITICAL storm awaits President Trump Tuesday when he arrives in Puerto Rico to assess the catastrophic damage left behind last month by Hurricane Maria.
Although much-needed fuel is finally reaching parts of an island plunged in weeks-long darkness, the President’s visit remained steeped in controversy days after Trump accused San Juan’s mayor of “poor leadership” following her criticism of the federal government’s response.
Trump defended his administration’s efforts in Puerto Rico on Sunday, tweeting: “We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico.
“Outside of the Fake news or politically motivated ingrates people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military.”
Earlier, Trump had attacked the mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, after she pleaded for more help and criticized the federal government’s response to Maria.
But White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that the mayor was invited to Tuesday’s event with the President in Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said there was progress in getting fuel supplies to the island’s 3.4 million inhabitants Monday as they faced a 13th day largely without power.
Though food and drinking water remain in short supply, Rosello said the increase in fuel supplies should allow more Puerto Ricans to operate generators and get around a little easier.
“We’ve been increasing the number of gas stations that are open,” Rossello said at a news briefing, where he said 720 of the island’s 1,100 gas stations are up and running.
“The flow is coming, gasoline is getting here,” Rossello said. “We have been able to reduce the time that it takes to get gasoline and diesel at different stations.”
Puerto Rico relies on fuel supplies shipped from the mainland United States, and distribution has been disrupted by badly damaged roads.
Cell phone service returned in some areas Sunday, and bars shut down in the days after the storm were open for business.
At least 5.4% of customers in Puerto Rico had their power restored by midmorning Monday, according to the U.S. Energy Department, with San Juan’s airport and marine terminal and several hospitals back on the power grid.
The department said the head of Puerto Rico’s power utility expects 15% of electricity customers to have power restored within the next two weeks. Federal and local authorities were working together to keep 50 hospitals operational and Rossello said the Navy hospital ship Comfort would arrive in Puerto Rico between Tuesday and Wednesday. REP. ADRIANO Espaillat said he’ll push for Congress to sign off this week on $20 billion in emergency aid for Puerto Rico. Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who traveled to the hurricane-hit island this weekend, joined City Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito and other pols in East Harlem on Monday to criticize the federal response to the disaster so far. “It can’t wait another week. It has to be this week,” said Espaillat, adding that the final bill is likely to reach $85 billion. Espaillat (photo inset) also called for congressional hearings on the federal response. Mark-Viverito said the humanitarian crisis after Hurricane Maria is getting worse. “This is a grave injustice that is happening in Puerto Rico,” she said, estimating fewer than 15,000 emergency personnel were on the ground in Puerto Rico, compared with 30,000 in Texas and 40,000 in Florida after recent hurricanes there.