Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont delays independence speech over possible international mediation

Spain held its breath Tuesday ahead of a crucial Catalan parliamentary session, waiting to see if regional leader Carles Puigdemont would defy Europe-wide pleas for.....
unity and follow through on his threat of declaring independence from Madrid.

But just as regional lawmakers started making their way into the parliament in Barcelona, the 54-year-old leader delayed the start of the session.
A regional government official told AFP that the delay was to allow time to explore “contacts for international mediation” in the crisis.

But Madrid immediately responded by saying mediation to settle the nation’s worst political crisis in decades was “not on the cards”.

October 11, 2017