Spanish PM to hold all-party meetings in response to Catalan separatists

Madrid: Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday he would hold meetings with opposition leaders, Pedro Sanchez (Spanish Socialist Workers Party) and Albert Rivera (Citizens) to coordinate a united response to the threat of a unilateral declaration of independence from the Catalan region.

Rajoy made his declaration on radio station Cadena Ser the day after Catalan pro-independence parties Junts Pel Si and CUP, which won a majority of seats in the Catalan regional parliament on September 27, confirmed they would pass a resolution in that Assembly to announce the formal start of steps to separate from Spain and form a Catalan Republic, Xinhua reported.

When asked about the motion, Rajoy, who on Tuesday had made a statement assuring that Catalan independence would not happen, repeated his words.

"What this document announces, will not take place," he insisted, adding the Spanish government "knows very well what it must do... We will apply the law and we will not get into the details."

He added that any response from the Spanish government must be "given with prudence and proportionality."

The move by the Junts Pel Si and CUP comes at a difficult time for Rajoy, given that the next general election will be held on December 20 and the current session of Congress was dissolved last week until the new Congress is decided by voters.