While Catalan president Quim Torra wants to put self-determination and amnesty on the table from day one, his Spanish counterparts move at a different rhythm. This Friday, Spanish deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo argued that the most "logical" thing would be to start with a "diagnostic reflection" of why this current point has been reached. The Socialist politician predicted that "on the 26th we will open a new and better era for Catalonia but also for Spain", and has closed the door again to a possible mediator, because with those already planned to be present there are "more than sufficient". Calvo will be one of the members of the bilateral dialogue forum.
In a media briefing at the Moncloa palace in Madrid, Carmen Calvo predicted that, with the constitution of the table, "what we are doing is begining a radically different phase", and that "neither will the independence movement be able to act as it has acted, nor will the Spanish government be able to adopt policies that completely abandon Catalonia's interests, as the Popular Party did until the court sentence of October 14th". Referring to the outcome of the Supreme Court trial of the pro-independence leaders, she said that the sentence "is an inheritance from the most anti-political right" which is also "the least comprehensive" of section eight of the Spanish Constitution, the part referring to Spain's territorial model.
As for the content to be discussed at the dialogue table, the Spanish deputy PM stated that the most "logical" thing would be to start with a "diagnostic reflection", on "how this current point has been reached". She accused the PP of having "lit the fuse" by organizing a petition against the Catalan Statute of Autonomy in the early 2000s and "taking it to court". However, she asserted that things would change: "That's the past. It is necessary to reflect on this past and build a space for coordination, loyalty and re-encounter. Catalonia expects solutions".
Asked about the demand for an international mediator by president Torra, Calvo stated that "the accreditation that we already have of those who are part of the two governments, is more than enough for what we have to do, engage in dialogue and reach agreement." Calvo reiterated her point: "Those who will sit at the table represent Catalonia in autonomous regional terms and Spain in national terms. It's more than sufficient that we will be there."
The Spanish government delegation consists of prime minister Sánchez, Calvo, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, and three ministers: territorial minister Carolina Darias, prominent Catalan Socialist figure and health minister Salvador Illa, and the En Comú Podem-nominated universities minister Manuel Castells. The full Catalan team has yet to be named.