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| Carles Puigdemont says he cannot return to Catalonia because Spain is intent on 'vengeance' | Carles Puigdemont says he cannot return to Catalonia because Spain is intent on 'vengeance' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont has said he cannot return to Spain unless given clear assurances that he will be protected, accusing Madrid of being intent on "vengeance". | Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont has said he cannot return to Spain unless given clear assurances that he will be protected, accusing Madrid of being intent on "vengeance". |
| The disputed president of the region insisted he was not in Brussels to seek political asylum, saying he and members of his cabinet fled to Belgium to act "in freedom and safety". | The disputed president of the region insisted he was not in Brussels to seek political asylum, saying he and members of his cabinet fled to Belgium to act "in freedom and safety". |
| Mr Puigdemont said he and his team will "continue our work despite the limits imposed on us." | |
| Speaking to a packed news conference in the European capital, Mr Puigdemont also said that he would accept the challenge of regional elections called for 21 December "with all our strength" and that Catalan nationalists would vote. | |
| Spain wants Catalonia "to abandon our political project, and they won't achieve it," he said. | |
| Mr Puigdemont and his colleagues are understood to have driven across the border into France before flying to Brussels on Monday. | |
| Speaking five minutes walk from the European Commission's Beralymont building he said the Catalan government had fled to the "capital of Europe" in order to avoid the potential for violence in Barcelona. He further urged the Spanish government to engage in dialogue. | |
| He had arrived at the Brussels Press Club amid speculation that he would claim asylum after the prospect was raised by a Belgian immigration minister. | |
| And as he entered the building, he walked past protesters holding Spanish national flags and a sign that read "Estado de Derecho" - "Rule Of Law". | |
| Other anti-independence demonstrators waving Catalan and Spanish flags chanted "viva Espana, viva Cataluña!" amid a heavy presence from Belgian police. | |
| The press conference was hosted at the independent Brussels press club amid reports that the Belgian government had denied permission for the larger international press centre in the city to be use. The disputed president took questions from the world's media in a packed-out presentation room that was well-over capacity. | |
| Asked whether he would return to Spain to serve a possible 30-year jail sentence for sedition and rebellion, Mr Puigdemont demurred and handed his microphone to one of his fellow ministers. */ /*-->*/ | |
| After a brief pause, the minister said: “Would a fair trial have this as a reasonable outcome? Ask this question and you will have the answer.” | |
| Despite dismissing the possibility of claiming asylum, the Catalan independence leader was also vague about how long he would stay in Belgium. | |
| “It depends on the circumstances, as long as we consider it necessary,” he said, switching throughout his presentation between English, Spanish, Catalan and French. | |
| “The situation is developing every day. Here we have better guarantees for our rights here and we can meet our obligations from here.” | |
| He added: “If they can guarantee to all of us, and to me in particular, a just, independent process, with the separation of powers that we have in the majority of European nations, if they guarantee that, we would return immediately.” | |
| More follows… | More follows… |