Carles Puigdemont has laid out his conditions for commencing negotiations with Spain’s acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, regarding the formation of a government.

The exiled Catalan separatist leader insists on amnesty as a prerequisite before engaging in talks with Spain’s leadership. Puigdemont made this demand clear in a speech delivered from Brussels.

In his address, he pointed out Spain’s dilemma: either it must hold new elections or reach an agreement with a party that has not renounced unilateral actions as a legitimate means to assert its rights. Puigdemont, who has been wanted in Spain since 2017 for his role in the illegal independence referendum and the subsequent declaration of independence, has emerged as a significant political player following the hung parliament resulting from the July elections.

While the conservative Popular Party is also attempting to form a government, their prospects appear uncertain, as they are less inclined to negotiate with regionalist forces. To avoid the need for new elections, the most viable option is for Puigdemont’s party to support Sanchez and the left-wing bloc.

Puigdemont has indicated that, for the time being, he will not insist on a legally binding referendum, deferring that issue to a later stage. Instead, he has declared that, before engaging in discussions with Spain’s Socialist Party, he requires guarantees of full amnesty for all individuals involved in the Catalan independence movement, including himself.

Additionally, he demands a mechanism to ensure that any commitments made by Spain’s Socialist Party will be honored. Another condition he sets is for Madrid to officially recognize the independence movement as “legitimate.” Puigdemont accuses Spain of espionage, infiltration, and arbitrary arrests of people without proper cause, likening the treatment of his party to that of terrorists.

These demands follow Puigdemont’s recent meeting with Spanish minister Yolanda Diaz, during which they jointly stressed the importance of dialogue in resolving political conflicts.

Pedro Sanchez has not yet responded to Puigdemont’s conditions, but he stated earlier that it was time to move past the political conflict with Catalonia.

On the other hand, Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo criticized Diaz for meeting with a “fugitive” and emphasized his refusal to accept any form of “blackmail” in exchange for forming a government.

Source: with agencies