Catalan Leader Threatens to ‘Internationalize Conflict’ With EU Appeal
Catalan Leader Threatens to ‘Internationalize Conflict’ With EU Appeal
The spiraling furor over Catalonia’s aspirations to greater autonomy continued unabated on Monday as defiant regional premier Artur Mas threatened to take the demand for a referendum on the issue to Europe if Madrid insists in rejecting it.
“If they won’t let us consult the people, what we will have to do is explain this to Brussels; we will have to internationalize the conflict,” Mas said in an interview with the TV-3 television channel.
In comments during a talk show on television channel laSexta, Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón reiterated the government’s stance that a referendum would be breach of the Spanish Constitution.
Gallardón rejected the idea of an agreement along the lines of Great Britain where the British parliament is expected to authorize a referendum on independence for Scotland. “Spain doesn’t make sense without Catalonia,” the minister said. “We Spaniards need to get involved in this debate.”