Catalan leader stakes claim to independence, then delays it

BARCELONA, Spain -- Catalan separatists on Tuesday signed what they called a declaration of independence from Spain to cheers and applause in the regional parliament. The regional leader said he would delay implementing it for several weeks to give dialogue a chance.

Spain, however, called an emergency Cabinet meeting and gave little indication it is willing to talk.

In his highly anticipated speech, regional President Carles Puigdemont said the landslide victory in an Oct. 1 referendum gave his government the grounds to implement its long-held desire to break century-old ties with Spain.

But he proposed that the regional parliament "suspend the effects of the independence declaration to commence a dialogue, not only for reducing tension but for reaching an accord on a solution to go forward with the demands of the Catalan people."

"We have to listen to the voices that have asked us to give a chance for dialogue with the Spanish state," Puigdemont said.

Pro-independence supporters hold a European Union flag during a rally in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said during his speech in the parliament that the region remained committed to independence but said it should follow dialogue with the government in Madrid. ((AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

That would help reduce political tensions and reach "an accord on a solution to go forward with the demands of the Catalan people," Puigdemont said.

The central government in Madrid responded that it did not accept the declaration of independence by the separatists and did not consider the referendum or its results to be valid. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said an emergency Cabinet meeting had been called for today.

The Catalan leader "doesn't know where he is, where he is going and with whom he wants to go," Saenz de Santamaria said.

About two dozen tractors flying secessionist flags paraded near parliament and thousands of separatists gathered in the promenade next to Barcelona's Arc de Triomf ahead of the speech.

A Spanish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with official policy, told The Associated Press the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy cannot accept validating a Catalan referendum law that was suspended by Spain's Constitution and called the referendum "fraudulent and illegal."

Rajoy's government "considers it inadmissible to make an implicit declaration of independence and then leave it in suspension in an explicit manner," the official said.

Following his speech, Puigdemont was the first to sign the document titled "Declaration of the Representatives of Catalonia." Dozens of other lawmakers signed it after him.

In his remarks to the parliament, Puigdemont was highly critical of the Spanish government's response to the referendum and the violent police reaction that left hundreds injured on voting day, but said Catalans have nothing against Spain or Spaniards, and that they want to understand each other better.

"We are not criminals, we are not crazy, we are not pulling off a coup, we are not out of our minds. We are normal people who want to vote," he said.

Opposition leader Ines Arrimadas of the Ciudadanos (Citizens) party slammed the speech.

"This is a coup. Nobody has recognized the result of the referendum. Nobody in Europe supports what you have just done," she said.

"Stop saying the Catalan people are united. Above all after what you have done. You have forced us to turn against one another," she said, addressing Puigdemont.

"The majority of Catalans feel they are Catalans, Spanish and European. ... We won't let you break our hearts into bits," Arrimadas said.

Socialist leader Miquel Iceta also was highly critical.

"You are proposing to suspend a declaration that hasn't been made, that's pretty tough," he said with irony, adding that "you can't claim a mandate from the Oct. 1 vote ... a vote that had no guarantees."

Puigdemont's speech marked a critical point in a decade-long standoff between Catalan separatists and Spain's central authorities. Security was tight in Barcelona and police cordoned off a park surrounding the legislative building.

In Brussels, European Council President Donald Tusk pleaded directly with the Catalan leadership ahead of the speech to choose dialogue rather than a divisive call for independence.

"I ask you to respect in your intentions the constitutional order and not to announce a decision that would make such a dialogue impossible," he said.

A full declaration of secession -- or an outright proclamation of a new Catalan Republic -- would have been met with fierce opposition by central Spanish authorities, who could take the unprecedented step of suspending the self-government of Catalonia and taking over some or all powers in the region.

Puigdemont also could be called in for questioning in court and possibly arrested.

Some 2.3 million Catalans -- or 43 percent of the electorate in the northeastern region -- voted in the referendum. Regional authorities say 90 percent were in favor and declared the results valid. Those who opposed the referendum had said they would boycott the vote.

Rajoy's government had repeatedly refused to grant Catalonia permission to hold a referendum on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, since it would only poll a portion of Spain's 46 million residents.

Catalonia's separatists camp has grown in recent years, strengthened by Spain's recent economic crisis and by Madrid's rejection of attempts to increase self-rule in the region.

The political deadlock has plunged Spain into its deepest political crisis in more than four decades, since democratic rule was restored following the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.

Thousands rallied in Barcelona's streets and watched Puigdemont's speech. For some, his move to not declare outright secession was disappointing.

"I feel a little sad because now is not independence," said 55-year-old Maria Gill. "We must wait a few weeks, a few weeks we must talk with the government of Spain."

Others took a more stoic approach.

"Perhaps it isn't the decisive declaration, declaring the republic and breaking away (from Spain) from today before any negotiation," said Oscar Baldes. "But it's a first step and that's important."

Any declaration of independence won't immediately lead to the creation of a new state because the Catalan government will need to figure out how to wrest control of its sovereignty from a Spanish government that has the law, and international support, on its side, said Joan Barcelo, a researcher of political conflicts at Washington University of St. Louis.

He said any declaration must be viewed through the lens of "the Catalan government's long-term strategy of provoking an extraordinary and even clumsy reaction from central authorities" to build support.

Hundreds of thousands have turned out for protests in Barcelona and other towns in the past month to back independence and protest against police violence during the vote. Those committed to national unity have also staged separate, large-scale rallies.

The tension has already affected the economy, with dozens of companies relocating their corporate addresses to remain under Spanish and European laws if Catalonia secedes. The moves of the firms' bases have not so far affected jobs or investments, but they don't send a message of confidence in the Puigdemont government.