Madrid unveils roadmap for resolving Catalonia row

By Beyza Binnur Donmez</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – After Catalonia’s tumultuous drive for independence in 2017, Madrid has released a roadmap aimed at resolving its differences with the would-be breakaway region.</p> <p>Late Tuesday, the Spanish government released the text of the 21-article roadmap, which was first proposed by Catalan President Quim Torra to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Dec. 20.</p> <p>Entitled “A state pact to resolve the conflict between Spain and Catalonia&quot;, the document reviews the current situation in the region and recommends several &quot;political solutions&quot;, according to the Europa Press Agency.</p> <p>It also touches on international mediation efforts and calls for negotiations between the Spanish and Catalan governments “on an equal footing”. It further calls for a probe into alleged police abuses committed against Catalonian activists.</p> <p>The 21 articles are divided into three sections: a democratic response to Catalonian demands, the need for the democratic regeneration of Spain, and the erasure of the legacy of Spain’s Franco dictatorship.</p> <p>Spain dissolved the Catalan parliament after the Catalan government held an illegal referendum on independence in October 2017.</p> <p>Shortly afterward, then Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy implemented Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, which allows Madrid to intervene in the internal affairs of the country’s autonomous regions.</p> <p>Ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont then fled Spain to Belgium before being briefly held in Germany for 12 days under an EU arrest warrant. </p> <p>He returned to Brussels after his release, where he has been living in exile ever since.