CATALAN president Quim Torra – who is pondering an invitation to address the Spanish parliament – will have to submit a proposal to his own parliament beforehand and go to Madrid once it has been agreed in a vote.
Sources close to the administration of Pedro Sanchez said: “It would be reasonable for Torra to come, but whatever he brings should be discussed and voted on in the Catalan parliament.”
A similar message came yesterday from two Spanish ministers in separate broadcast interviews.
Meritxell Batet, territorial policy minister, said a debate had to be opened between Catalans to reach a “new consensus in the Catalan parliament”.
Spain’s delegate in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, said it would be “bold” for Torra to address the Spanish chamber before an agreement was reached.
Speaker of the Spanish parliament, Ana Pastor, made the offer earlier this week, which Sanchez’s executive considers to be an “exercise of democratic transparency”, only if Torra has a consensus of parliament.
A referendum on Catalan independence will be the main topic of discussion.
Torra has urged Sanchez to sanction a legally-binding poll, but he has expressed willingness to hold a poll only on self-government, with enhanced powers for the
Catalan parliament.
“What is at stake in Catalonia is not independence, it is co-existence. When we talk about self-government we talk about a new statute,” said Sanchez.
However, the Catalan president is keen to avoid any humiliation from Spain’s lower chamber: “I would like to know whether I would go as a guest or as a first dish.”
As preparations continue for the Catalan National Day – La Diada – on Tuesday, a Spain-Catalonia security summit has been told people should not be alarmed by the drafting in of hundreds of extra Spanish riot police ahead of the occasion.
Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, speaking at a joint press conference with his Catalan counterpart Miquel Buch, said up to 2000 officers were deployed for a major football match.
However, Buch said Catalan police can and will handle security in the streets during the upcoming demonstrations and events without any problems.
One of the main agreements reached between the two was that the Catalan police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, would be incorporated into Spain’s Centre of Intelligence against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO) within a month.
It means that a Mossos agent will be permanently based at CITCO.
Technical problems have held up the integration of the two bodies, but these were said to be almost solved.
Grande-Marlaska said: “It’s an important step that shows the level of commitment of our ministry.”
The Mossos have also asked to join international bodies to share intelligence on terrorism and other major forms of crime, although no concrete proposals were tabled at the meeting.
Barcelona, the Catalan capital, suffered two terror attacks in August last year, which saw 16 people killed and more than 100 injured.
Although the Mossos – and the now jailed former interior minister Joaquim Forn – were praised for their handling of the attacks and their aftermath, they have raised concerns about a lack of direct access to Spanish and international databases, such as that of European agency Europol.
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