Díaz agrees with Puigdemont in Brussels to “explore all democratic solutions to unblock the political conflict” in Catalonia | Spain

2023-09-04 20:47:22

The leader of Sumar and acting second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, met this Monday in Brussels, for almost three hours, with the former Catalan president and MEP Carles Puigdemont. The meeting, the first between a government minister and Puigdemont since he fled to Belgium at the end of October 2017, becoming a fugitive from justice, has been described by Sumar and Junts as “fruitful” and has served, according to reports Said in a joint statement, to open the way to a “normalized and stable relationship between both political formations.” The two parties undertake to “explore all democratic solutions to unblock the political conflict” in Catalonia. Sources from La Moncloa have assured that Díaz is in Brussels as leader of Sumar and not as a representative of the Government; therefore, the socialist sector of the Executive disassociates itself from this trip. The appointment takes place in full negotiations with Junts – a party led by the former president – for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez.

Yolanda Díaz arrived at twelve o’clock at noon to the room of the European Parliament reserved for the unexpected appointment together with Puigdemont. The leader of Sumar was accompanied by the former deputy of En Comú Podem Jaume Asens, and Puigdemont, the former counselor of the Generalitat and today an MEP Antoni Comín, also a fugitive. None of those involved made statements either before or after the meeting, which lasted until just before three in the afternoon. Smiling, Díaz limited himself to assuring the press that the meeting had gone “very well.” When asked if there would be new appointments, she replied: “Yes, of course!”

In the joint declaration, both formations say they share “the deep conviction that politics must be done based on dialogue and democratic principles” and that “political problems must return to political channels.” “Democracy consists of dialogue between different positions”, they emphasize. The reason for the meeting, according to Puigdemont’s office, was “to exchange views on the current political moment.” And it takes place in full conversations between the Government and the pro-independence parties about a possible amnesty law for crimes related to the process. Junts and ERC put this amnesty as one of the conditions to support the investiture of Pedro Sánchez.

Díaz reported his meeting on Sunday night to La Moncloa, which has been made aware of it but has not agreed to the meeting or the content, so it does not assume as its own what can be agreed. “They informed us late at night, a fait accompli. There is nothing agreed. We continue with our path, this has nothing to do with us ”, sum up socialist government sources.

The PSOE thus disassociates itself from the trip, but does not criticize it either. Socialist sources indicate that they have no “positive or negative opinion” of the meeting itself. And they consider that the PP itself, assuming that it will meet with Junts for the investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has assumed that this is a party “like the others, with its legitimate representatives.” In any case, the PSOE insists that they maintain their channels with Junts in a discreet manner, contrary to what the leader of Sumar has done in Brussels. From the space led by the second vice president, they emphasize that all their meetings with the groups for the investiture are held in the name of Sumar, and not of the Government, and always in public.

Sources from Sumar, who jealously guard any details of the conversations and refer to the statement with Junts, add that they have been working on the meeting for weeks and assure that they wanted to give “transparency” to the meeting. They also consider that it is necessary to do pedagogy and understand that, if the intention is to re-establish relationships, there must be someone on the other side; although the visit, they point out, was in no way a requirement of Junts.

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The news of Díaz’s trip came out this Monday morning, just when Pedro Sánchez was giving a conference at the Ateneo de Madrid, in which he did not expressly mention the meeting. The acting president has made very clear references to the negotiation with Junts for his inauguration, has opted to “turn the page” on the process and has reopened the door, as he did two weeks ago, to the possibility of approving an amnesty or some kind of criminal relief for the defendants, although he has assured that any solution will be “totally constitutional.”

The PSOE, its general secretary has said, will be “coherent” with the line maintained so far in relation to this matter, which in the previous legislature materialized in the pardons of the imprisoned pro-independence leaders and the reform of the Penal Code to eliminate the crime sedition and lower embezzlement. “The next legislature will be the one that really leaves behind the fracture [del procés]. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past, it is time for politics, to turn the page, to learn from those mistakes and to look towards a future of coexistence”, said the president. And he added: “We want to leave behind a past in the trenches. We are committed to dialogue and harmony, it is the best solution to this crisis. A solution that will be totally constitutional. We must be consistent and move forward on that path. It is the moment of politics, to continue advancing in coexistence. Our project defends the Constitution and pleads for a common project that is based on respect and affection, that defends the union of the Spaniards, that assumes linguistic and cultural plurality as pride”.

From the left, Jaume Asens, Yolanda Díaz, Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín, this Monday at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels. Delmi Alvarez

Sánchez thanked “all the political forces” with which he is negotiating, including Junts, “the height of State that they are demonstrating.” And he has affirmed that the agreement on his investiture “can be, should be and will be reached”.

Yolanda Díaz, directly and through Jaume Asens, has maintained fluid contact with Puigdemont throughout the month of August and the vice president, in fact, was the first to request the use of the co-official languages ​​in the Lower House, one of the measures contemplated within the agreement for the Table of Congress. Sumar claims that this must be “a legislature of social and plurinational progress”, for which, they point out, they are already “getting to work”. The parliamentary spokesperson for the formation, Marta Lois, in statements late in the afternoon on RNE, described the meeting as an “exercise in democratic normality.” “In a democracy, dialogue, listening, being able to seek agreements is important,” she highlighted. “We have gone from a previous legislature of the PP where, unfortunately, the political conflicts in Catalonia ended up being a hot potato for the judges and it is time to retrace that path of judicializing politics and start what citizens want: political solutions through dialogue and meetings that must be normalized”, he added. “Today in Brussels we take an important step to continue building social and territorial solutions for our country,” MEP and spokesman Ernest Urtasun has indicated on networks. Podemos, a party integrated in Sumar, had not previously been informed of the meeting by Díaz, but has celebrated that it has taken place: “Welcome all the initiatives to assemble that progressive, democratic and plurinational majority”, said its spokesman Javier Sánchez Serna .

With information from Camilo S. Baquero.

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