Catalan president Quim Torra sees it as insufficient that acting Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez should have finally agreed to call him. Sources close to the president say that "nothing is solved by one call among those with the presidents of seventeen autonomous communities". They call on Sánchez to show "courage" to tackle the political conflict, and to offer a "democratic response to provide for self-determination and the end of the repression" instead of "empty, sterile gestures"
Yesterday, Sánchez announced that he will talk with the presidents of all of Spain's autonomous communities as he continues to work to pull together the votes for his investiture. He had previously refused to pick up the phone to Torra during the disturbances in October following the Supreme Court's sentences against pro-independence leaders. It is very unusual for a candidate for prime minister to call the 17 presidents ahead of their investiture.
Sources from ERC, El Nacional reported this Wednesday evening, had called for Sánchez to make a gesture towards Torra for talks to continue during this week's meeting in Barcelona. ERC's negotiators made the proposal on Tuesday; the PSOE team agreed. That's why, ERC says, the joint statement after the meeting talked of tackling the conflict from a position of "institutional respect".
The announcement, however, hasn't pleased some within JxCat, saying it's a "joke" and "intolerable insult", specifically by "hiding" behind calls to all the other presidents at the same time.
Ahir ja vam dir que sonava a presa de pèl, avui afirmem que és un insult intolerable a la presidència de Catalunya i a totes i cadascuna de les persones que pateixen repressió per ser dignes, fermes i coherents. https://t.co/T9fo2BE9RR
— Francesc de Dalmases @JuntsXCat (@francescd) December 12, 2019
Reeditar el “café para todos” amb 17 trucades és tornar a amargar-se rere la homogeneïtzació i negar el conflicte polític català. Valentia i coratge per solucionar el conflicte i dignitat i respecte per reconéixer les nostres institucions, la 1a, el MHP @QuimTorraiPla https://t.co/TF3jHjPXzQ
— Aurora Madaula #JuntsperCatalunya🎗 (@Aurora_Madaula) December 12, 2019
Nonetheless, Catalan government spokesminister Meritxell Budó said that Torra will answer the phone. She added that it would be a "gesture" if Torra were to be the first president Sánchez calls, changing the habitual order. However, she said that this won't solve the conflict, "far from it", and that what's needed is bilateral negotiations led by Torra and Sánchez.