Barcelona (EFE) for the meetings that are necessary and advance in the resolution of the conflict”.
In an interview with EFE in his office in the Palau de la Generalitat, Aragonès has analyzed the future prospects of the dialogue process undertaken with Moncloa and has advanced details of his proposal for a clarity agreement, which he plans to accelerate in Catalonia after the municipal elections of May.
Following the latest agreements reached in December within the framework of the negotiation between the State and the Generalitat, translated into a reform of the Penal Code, Aragonès considers that the dialogue table should not remain at a standstill in 2023, despite being a year marked by local, regional and general elections.
“Dialogue should not be subject to political tactic incentives from the parties,” he suggested. “That the presidents can talk, meet, reach agreements and address the conflict should not be conditioned by short-term and electoral interests. For me, it isn’t.”
The president and national coordinator of ERC has sent a message to Moncloa: “If Pedro Sánchez, who has made a flag of dialogue and an outstretched hand, now hides, withdraws and lowers that flag of dialogue because he has municipal and regional elections, he must give explanations as to why they do not want to talk”.
The “unilateralism” of a government of PP and Vox
Although he has refused to link the continuity of his commitment through dialogue to Sánchez winning the next generals – “it is a process from government to government, not from party to party” -, he has admitted that if there is a change in the Moncloa, “the conditions to advance in the negotiation process will be more difficult”.
“We will not get up from the table. Now, I am well aware that a government of PP and Vox would probably mean taking steps back. But they would be the ones who would decide to break the dialogue ”, she asserted.
Would ERC consider, in that case, retake the unilateral path? “If someone is concerned about unilateralism, they should worry about the unilateral actions of a Spanish government in the hands of PP and Vox,” Aragonès responded, warning of the attitude that a government of that color would have in areas such as Catalonia, the ” regression” of rights and freedoms or even the level of investment in Catalonia.
Accelerate the Clarity Agreement after 28M
But regardless of how the dialogue process advances this year, Aragonès plans to focus his efforts on his proposal for a “clarity agreement”, following the Canadian path with Quebec, to agree on the minimum conditions to hold an eventual self-determination consultation in Catalonia. .
Before trying to agree to this consultation with the State, Aragonès intends to join forces in Catalonia through a great agreement with political, social, economic, trade union and cultural agents that will serve to establish the specific conditions of this referendum.
“The implementation of this procedure cannot be delayed excessively, mainly because the conflict cannot remain stagnant,” said the president, who explained that “in the coming weeks” there will be “content” work on the part of from a group of academics.
When these works of the group of experts are “sufficiently mature”, contacts with Catalan political forces will begin, something that according to Aragonès will not happen until after May 28, so as “not to interfere” in the elections.
“In a campaign context -he has argued- it is difficult to have the conditions for a debate as transcendental as this one. A part of the works will have to be left for a date after the municipal ones, but they cannot be delayed excessively.”
Call to JxCat, CUP and PSC to position themselves
His will, he has assured, is to achieve “big agreements” in the Catalan Parliament, despite the fact that parties such as the PSC, CUP or JxCat have already advanced their frontal opposition to this proposal, with respect to which only the commons have shown a predisposition.
Aragonès downplays these refusals, since there has not yet been an “opportunity” to “debate in depth” his proposal.
Even so, he has warned that whoever “opposes” his approach will then be “forced” to put his alternative on the table; and he has taken the opportunity to address, one by one, the PSC, Junts and the CUP, to also challenge them to position themselves on the clarity agreement.
“What does the PSC think about the future of Catalonia? Does the shortened Statute seem good to you? Will they continue to refuse a referendum even if there is a larger majority in Parliament? And what proposal does JxCat make? Do we continue without a roadmap and stagnant? Because the problem with the confrontational strategy is that we have never really known what it consists of”, said Aragonès, who has also suggested to the CUP that his defense of a referendum with an international “connection” fits perfectly with the clarity agreement.