Pedro Sánchez does not believe that judging Carles Puigdemont is a good idea. He expressed this today in a press conference at the Representation of Spain to the United Nations, where he is participating in the meetings of the General Assembly of the organization.
“We have respected the work and work of Justice. We have always done that. I also say, and I have always commented, that a political crisis never had to lead to judicial action. I remember that when the President of the Government Mariano Rajoy and the attorney general at the time, José Manuel Maza, opened the door to all these judicial cases through the National Court, I conveyed my discomfort to Mr. Rajoy.” The president declared that “what we have done during these four years” has been “trying to return to politics what should never have left politics.”
These statements by Sánchez seem to be a continuation of those he made on Tuesday in an informal meeting with the media in New York, when he stated that “I will speak when it’s my turn” but raised a scenario in Catalonia in which the defenders of the celebration of a unilateral referendum they ran the risk of being politically isolated, so it was better for them to negotiate.
Today Sánchez has been clearer when explaining that “I am going to be consistent with the policy that I have made of normalization and stabilization of the political situation in Catalonia, in short, I am saying a lot. There are the facts, which are absolutely indisputable. Catalonia is much better than in 2017. We found ourselves in a traumatic, torn situation, with a Parliament that ignored the Constitution.”
The acting president made these statements just after journalists asked him if it is true that, as stated by the leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Oriol Junqueras, the amnesty has already been agreed since last month. “Talks can be discreet, but agreements must be transparent,” he said. Only if the investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo fails – which Sánchez took for granted – and King Felipe VI entrusts him with the formation of a new Government “will I speak with total frankness and transparency about what the main lines of a hypothetical administration led by the Socialist Party”. Only then “I am going to dedicate myself body and soul to achieving a true investiture. Whatever I have to say, I will say from that moment on.” If an agreement is reached, “the objective of my Government for the next four years is progress and coexistence. The method will be dialogue with social agents in everything that has to do with progress, with territorial actors in everything that has to do with coexistence and the framework will be the Constitution,” he concluded.
On the international front, Sánchez, who arrives in Spain tomorrow, Thursday, once again reaffirmed his support for multilateralism and the defense of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. “Support for Ukraine will continue until the last Russian soldier leaves a country that is not his,” he said, referring to a conflict that he called “absolutely imperialist” and in which, he said, “you cannot be equidistant”.
The president also defended multilateralism, especially with regard to the fight against climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, which seem absolutely impossible to achieve on the planned date of 2030, and that in Spain all political forces support except Vox. On his trip to New York, Sánchez has held different bilateral meetings, although his agenda has been somewhat limited by his status as acting head of the Government. He has also announced an increase in the Spanish contribution to two UN programs, worth 40 million euros over the next three years, and has proposed that Spain host the summit of finance ministers on development financing scheduled for 2025.
