A FORMER Spanish government minister has come under fire for admitting his government had covertly spoken to others around the world persuading them not to support independence for Catalonia.

In an interview on Spanish television channel 13TV, José Manuel García Margallo, who was foreign affairs minister between 2011 and 2016, said specific instructions were given to ambassadors and consuls at weekly meetings over five years for them to close the door on the Catalan independence question. He told the programme El Cascabel (the Bell): “The Catalans have recognised ... that internationally they’ve lost, but nobody knows the effort it has cost, and the favours that we owe to a whole bunch of people for getting them to make the declarations that they made.”

Margallo said that normally, when asked to talk about events in another country, officials would say: “Look, this is an internal matter, figure it out yourself. Don’t make me give an important statement on this topic.”

He added that the work had taken much time and energy: “I was in the Baltic countries four times, and it is not that we have particular economic interests there, but rather that we have the subject of Catalonia and the Baltic Way.

“I have been to Canada, to the Vatican I don’t how many times … this takes up an enormous amount of energy.”

The remarks were greeted with fury by Sergi Marcen, head of the Catalan delegation to the UK, who told The National: “Mr Margallo’s claims are very serious and shocking, although not entirely surprising given his track record of proclaiming spurious threats. As President Puigdemont and Vice President Junqueras have demanded, the former Spanish minister for foreign affairs should appear before the Spanish Parliament to explain which promises were made, the legality and authority of his actions and which resources were used.”

Albert Royo i Mariné, secretary general of the Diplomatic Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) said: “I think this is unacceptable. Margallo openly accepts admits all the pressures that the Spanish embassies are exercising on sovereign governments and parliaments. And the Spanish Government is doing so using funds which come from Catalan tax payers… He is offering extra arguments to the pro-independence camp.”

Writer Liz Castro, a former member of the Catalan National Assembly, said the admission was incredible and added: “I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to know what he offered in return for getting diplomats to come out against Catalan democracy.”