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'It's time to talk,' EU tells Spain amid Catalan referendum

Wednesday, 04 October 2017 5:59 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 04 October 2017 6:46 PM ]

Still picture taken from video shows European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans speaks as members of the European Parliament debate the ongoing situation in Catalonia, three days after the banned referendum on a split from Spain, in Strasbourg, France, October 4, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

The European Union has once again urged the Spanish government and Catalonia’s authorities to talk to find a resolution to Spain’s standoff over the Catalan independence referendum.

"It's time to talk. To find a way out of the impasse, working within the constitutional order of Spain," European Commission's First Vice President Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament on Wednesday as the EU legislature opened a debate on the situation.

On Sunday, Spanish police cracked down on Catalan voters participating in an unauthorized independence referendum.

"Respect for the rule of law is not optional, it is fundamental," Timmermans said, adding, "The regional government of Catalonia has chosen to ignore the law when organizing the referendum."

Timmermans also called on the conservative government in Madrid to exercise restraint.

"Violence does not solve anything in politics ... However, it is of course a duty for any government to uphold the rule of law and this sometimes does require the proportionate use of force."

The EU official also stated that the matter was internal. "That is why the Commission has called on all relevant actors to now move quickly from confrontation to dialogue. All lines of communication must stay open."

Spanish police officers drag a man as they try to disperse voters arriving to a polling station in Barcelona, on October 1, 2017, during a referendum, banned by Madrid, on independence for Catalonia. (Photo by AFP)

The Sunday vote turned ugly as Spanish riot police moved in on polling stations to stop people from casting their ballots. Security forces used batons and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds of voters.

More than 840 people were injured in the violent clashes between riot police and voters in one of Spain’s worst crises in decades.

The Spanish police clampdown has also been met with international criticism. The United Nations called on Spanish authorities on Monday to launch a complete and fair investigation into the violence.

Catalan leader says feels like ‘president of a free country’

Carles Puigdemont, the regional president of Catalonia, said he already felt like the "president of a free country" after more than 90 percent of Catalan voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from the mainland in the Sunday plebiscite.

"I already feel as a president of a free country where millions of people have made an important decision," Puigdemont said in an interview to be published by German newspaper Bild on Thursday.

Madrid has pledged to prevent the wealthy northeastern region from breaking away from Spain and has dismissed Sunday’s poll as constitutional and a “farce.”

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