How long should the mediation period suggested by Puigdemont take?
While President talked about “weeks”, far-left pro-independence CUP suggests one month as deadline
What’s next on the roadmap of the Catalan government and parliament’s attempted steps towards independence? President Puigdemont suspended an independence declaration during his speech yesterday in order to give a final chance for dialogue with Madrid and international mediators. The plans to become a fully-fledged state are only temporarily on hold, though.
"In the coming weeks"
Puigdemont urged launching a dialogue “in the coming weeks.” The next deadline if Madrid continues to refuse to engage in talks is unclear, but some lawmakers think it shouldn’t be more than a month. The CUP, a far-left pro-independence minor yet essential party for the government to retain majority in Parliament, expected a declaration of independence without suspension on Tuesday.
“With whom should we mediate or negotiate?” asked spokeswoman Anna Gabriel in the parliamentary chamber. The CUP said in a press conference on Tuesday that the maximum mediation period should be one month. However, one of its spokespeople, Quim Arrufat, said on Wednesday that the party is “open” to agree on a longer period with the government if need be.