Spain's prime minister and the leader of Catalonia have opened formal talks in the hope of resolving the festering political crisis provoked by the region's independence movement.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and members of his government are hosting Catalan regional chief Quim Torra and his delegation in Madrid's Moncloa Palace, the seat of Spain's Government, on Wednesday.
Sanchez greeted Torra in the gardens outside the palace, and the two leaders appeared to chat amiably.
No major breakthrough is expected from the meeting given the political abyss separating the two sides.
READ MORE: 'Catalonia Is Anti Fascist' film gets Scottish premiere
Sanchez said beforehand: "Today we will initiate our talks, and the way forward is going to be difficult, complex and long."
Torra has insisted he will repeat his demands for Catalonia to be allowed to hold a referendum on independence and for the release of nine pro-independence leaders who are serving prison sentences for their role in a 2017 referendum, which was declared illegal by Spain.
Sanchez has promised his government will not consider an independence vote for the region. He has said he will instead focus on improving relations between Spain and the restive region, while also decreasing tensions in Catalonia caused by the divisive issue.
Polls and the most recent election results indicate roughly 50% of the 7.5 million residents of north-eastern Catalonia are in favour of independence.
The meeting comes at a delicate moment for both governments.
In January, Sanchez agreed to open the talks in order to win the votes of some of Catalonia's pro-indy politicians in the national parliament necessary to form a coalition government with the left-wing We Can party.
Sanchez will now need to maintain that same backing to get a national budget passed.
This trade-off has earned the Socialist leader criticism from Spain's right-of-centre parties, which Sanchez accuses of doing nothing to help defuse the conflict.
Torra, meanwhile, has said he will soon call snap elections as frictions between his party and another separatist party currently in power in Catalonia have reached breaking point.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel