Catalan government formally invites Rajoy to Puigdemont’s conference in Madrid
Munté insists the referendum date will not be announced until a response is received from the Spanish government
BarcelonaNo news on the date of the referendum until the negotiated option is definitively ruled out. In other words, the government will wait until after the National Pact for the Referendum’s event this Friday in Barcelona and the conference by the President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, Vice President, Oriol Junqueras, and the Catalan Foreign Minister, Raül Romeva, before making any kind of announcement. However, there some possible dates have been pencilled in, including the first Sunday in October. A date which, according to pro-independence sources, is looking increasingly likely.
Nevertheless, preparations for the conference in Madrid on the 22nd of this month are going ahead. The Minister of the Presidency and Government Spokeswoman, Neus Munté, announced that formal invitations have been issued to several Spanish political leaders, including presient Mariano Rajoy and his ministers. However, the Munté declared that they have not received a reply from the Spanish government and lamented the fact that former Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García Margallo has turned down the invitation.
As for the date of the referendum, however, Munté insisted that we must continue to wait and see how Madrid responds to the Catalan government's latest offer before talking about the date and the actual question of the referendum. She dismissed as "speculation" reports that suggest that the referendum could be held on 1 October, though she acknowledged that it is as likely a candidate as certain other dates.
