The mediation commission led by the College of Lawyers of Barcelona (ICAB) has asked this Friday afternoon the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont registered office to, "stop urgently the political decisions that increase the tension" with the Spanish government. In a meeting at the Catalan government palace, they also called on him to "exclude any unilateral solution".
The commission said to Puigdemont that "it's essential to urgently stop all the political decisions that increase the tension" between the two governments. They also communicated their "wish to offer bridges of dialogue and understanding". This solution "has to exclude any unilateral solution, respecting the ordinary working of the institutions of self-governance of Catalonia and discounting any decision that would affect the autonomic organisational political model". They also explained to the president that they're also requesting the withdrawal of the extra units of Spanish police and Civil Guard. The commission believes it to be "essential" to find a way out of the current situation based in dialogue and conciliation.
After the meeting, which lasted an hour, the dean of ICAB, Maria Eugènia Gay, and Catalan government spokesperson, Jordi Turull, were meant to statements to the media. These were cancelled in the end, so that discretion might facilitate the mediation's success. More meetings and statements soon are not discounted, sources close to the two sides have side.
At the meeting, besides Gay and Turull, were the president of the Council of Catalan Lawyers, Carles McCragh; the general secretary of the Catalan branch of union UGT, Camil Ros; the general secretary of the Catalan branch of union CCOO, Javier Pacheco; the dean of the University of Barcelona, Joan Elias; the dean of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Margarita Arboix; the general secretary of Catalan employers' association PIMEC, Antonio Cañete; the vice-president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Joan Francesc Pont; the chairman of the United Nations Association of Spain, Eduard Sagarra; the dean of the College of Economists of Catalonia, Joan B. Casas and the Catalan Justice minister, Carles Mundó.
More than 70 organisations like Barça, the employers's association CECOT and the pharmaceutical colleges as well as 250 individuals have signed up to the Independent Commission for Mediation, Dialogue and Conciliation.