The PSOE and Junts delegations sat down yesterday for the first time to negotiate with an international mediator, the Salvadoran diplomat Francisco Galindo Vélez. The meeting took place in the Swiss city of Geneva or its surroundings, in a location that was not disclosed, and was led by former president Carles Puigdemont, on behalf of JxCat, and by the number three of the socialists, Santos Cerdán, secretary of organization and person of the utmost trust of Pedro Sánchez. The meeting was also attended by the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull, the party’s spokesperson in Congress, Míriam Nogueras, and Cerdán’s right-hand man in Ferraz, Juan Francisco Serrano.
These are the same teams that sealed the agreement for Sánchez’s reelection at the beginning of November. In the afternoon, when the meeting had concluded, both groups issued a statement in which they indicated that they had met “in a cordial and working environment,” to “give continuity to the agreement that led to the investiture.” “Progress has continued,” they noted.
The meeting, the first in the consensual negotiation space – it has the support of the Henry Dunant Foundation – was held in the presence of the aforementioned Salvadoran diplomat, former ambassador of his country in France and Colombia, and former UNHCR representative in several countries.
Thus, Galindo Vélez will coordinate the international mechanism that is part of the agreement signed in Brussels by Turull and Cerdán. The two groups thanked him for “his commitment to making his experience available to the parties and his willingness to contribute to reaching a political and negotiated solution to the conflict.”
Although in the PSOE they talk about a “work meeting” – as Cerdán said yesterday –, for Junts the meeting represents a paradigm shift and lays “very solid foundations regarding the political conflict,” according to its vice president and spokesperson, Josep. Rius, on RNE.
From the outset, PSOE and Junts agree on the initial premise. For the negotiation to prosper and bear fruit, there must be discretion. In a recent interview with this medium, Turull said that “as long as there is media pressure” the negotiation “will not work.”
The idea of ??both organizations was to shake off the media pressure and not transcend the day or place of the meeting. At least, that’s how they expressed themselves in public in the previous days. However, this week it became known that the meeting would be in Geneva yesterday, and both Cerdán and Nogueras were caught by the press on Friday night at the airport, upon arriving in the Swiss city. In fact, the sovereigntist leader was scolded by some Spanish citizens who coincided with her when leaving the airport.
Before returning to Spain, Cerdán explained yesterday that the meeting, which lasted for long hours, had gone well. And another appointment is not expected before the end of the year.
In that forum, JxCat wants to propose to the socialists the holding of a referendum through article 92 of the Constitution and a new financing system for Catalonia. The initial position of the PSOE is different.
