BARCELONA: Millions of Catalans hope to go to the polls on Sunday to vote on whether the region should become independent from Spain, in a referendum fiercely opposed by the central government and which threatens to expose ruptures in the country’s 39-year democracy.
Catalonia, which has its own language and is a semi-autonomous region in Spain’s northeast, has long felt distinct from the Castilian heartlands.
After statutes to expand Catalonia’s autonomy were denied, despite approval from the Catalan and Spanish parliaments, separatists decided that independence was the only option for a region that comprises 16 percent of Spain’s population and accounts for a fifth of the economy and a quarter of exports.
Following a symbolic referendum in 2014 which drew a low turnout, but in which 81 percent of voters backed independence, Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont announced the Oct. 1 poll, which Spain’s government says is illegal because the constitution declares the “indissoluble unity” of the Spanish nation.
Madrid has taken draconian measures to prevent the referendum; about 10 million ballot papers have been confiscated and police have raided media offices, local government buildings and printing presses, also arresting officials. Referendum-related websites have been shut down, only to pop up elsewhere on the Internet.
Spain’s attorney-general has ordered Catalonia’s regional police, Mossos d’Esquadra, to be controlled from Madrid, while an estimated 16,000 police and security officers from other parts of Spain will be dispatched to Catalonia to stop the vote.
These harsh measures, which carry an implicit threat to suspend Catalonia’s semi-autonomy, have echoes of Spain’s fascist past. Spain returned to being a democracy in 1978 following the death of dictator Francisco Franco three years earlier. Franco’s army rebellion sparked the Spanish Civil War and the victorious fascists brutally repressed Catalan culture, language and institutions. The transition to democracy included a broad amnesty and today’s ruling People’s Party (PP) was founded by a cadre of former Francoist ministers in the 1970s.
“In Spain, Franco is never far away,” said Christophe Bostyn, international relations officer at Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC), a pro-independence civil group that has helped organize rallies supporting secession.
“The central government doesn’t respect autonomy — it sees Catalonia as its possession that cannot be questioned. They don’t have a negotiating culture — either you obey or we send in the police.”
Over 1 million people took to Barcelona’s streets on Catalonia’s national Day, Sept. 11, to demonstrate in favor of independence, and protests of varying sizes are now near-daily occurrences in the Catalan capital, yet everyday life continues unaffected. About 1.4 million people joined city-wide festivities last weekend for La Merc, a celebration of Barcelona’s patron saint, and protests seemed good natured; Catalonia is prosperous, peaceful and democratic, although many Catalans worry that welcome state of affairs is now in jeopardy.
Josep Tirapu was one of around 150 protesters gathered outside the University of Barcelona on Saturday to protest Madrid’s actions. The students aim to continue the vigil until polling day.
“We’re not all going to vote yes, the important thing is to defend democracy,” said Tirapu, 20, a law and politics undergraduate.
“We believe in our government, which has been preparing for this vote for many months. The state is trying to repress us, so we’re making it possible for the referendum to go ahead by taking to the streets.”
As with Brexit, traditional political leanings have been marginalized, with parties on the left and right in both the pro- and anti-independence camps. Like Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, leader of the PP, Catalan President Puigdemont fronts a right-wing party, yet the two men have bitterly opposing views on greater self-governance for the region.
Whether the vote will happen is uncertain. The Catalan government will shortly release the location of the polling stations, according to the referendum website, with organizers seemingly taking a flash-mob approach to try to outmaneuver Madrid.
“The referendum is going ahead,” said ANC’s Bostyn.
“We will see a massive mobilization of people. Beyond any doubts, yes will win.”
Should he be correct, Puigdemont has vowed to unilaterally declare independence within 48 hours, although that would be a symbolic gesture unless the Catalan government is willing and able to secure and defend its territory immediately.
“The division of the country is outlawed under the Spanish constitution,” said Dr. Rebecca Richards, a lecturer in law at Britain’s Keele University.
“If Catalonia decides to declare its independence and halt all exchanges with Spain, to essentially attempt to kick Spain out of the territory — that could get messy and potentially violent. What’s more likely is negotiating a new economic relationship with Spain, negotiating increased autonomy, or both. Spain has a lot to lose if it has a poor relationship with Catalonia.”
Ferran Brunet is founder of Societat Civil Catalana, which opposes the referendum. A professor of economics, Brunet warns of the calamitous effect unilateral independence would have on Catalonia, which would be left outside the EU.
“The referendum is illegal. People who are against the vote and those who wish to vote no have no voice,” said Brunet. “It’s a waste of public money. Catalans are divided, families are divided.”
Amid those schisms, Madrid’s heavy-handed approach is undoubtedly pushing many undecideds into the “yes” camp.
“The Spanish government is acting in an anti-democratic way,” said Anna Bertran, a pro-independence 25-year-old school teacher from Barcelona taking part in the student protest.
“It’s using the judiciary to try to stop the vote, rather than allowing political debate. It’s not a question of independence, it’s a question of having the right to vote. We’re not asking for any more than that — if ‘no’ wins the vote, I’ll respect the result.”
Others take a more cynical view of Puigdemont’s push for independence.
“It’s only the wealthy who want it,” said Ignacio Lamata, a volunteer at La Rosa de Foc, an anarchist bookshop in Barcelona’s seedy El Raval district owned by the far-left Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), which took up arms to thwart a fascist takeover of Barcelona at the outset of the civil war in 1936.
“Ask a factory worker and they don’t care — it’s the kids of Franco in charge, not only in Madrid, but Catalonia, and whatever the result those in power will just keep stealing and stealing. Nothing will change,” said Lamata.
His sentiments are not without foundation. In July, Prime Minister Rajoy testified in court as part of a corruption investigation involving the ruling PP that includes charges of organized crime, falsifying accounts, influence-peddling and tax crimes, Reuters reported, while in 2014 Jordi Pujol, the former long-serving Catalan president, admitted to over 30 years of tax fraud.
Catalonia vote poses big problems for Spain and aspiring new state
Catalonia vote poses big problems for Spain and aspiring new state
Warrants of ICC are binding, Borrell says
- I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable
NICOSIA: EU governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU’s foreign policy chief said on Saturday.
The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes against humanity.
All EU member states signed the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute.
Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.
“The states that signed the Rome convention must implement the court’s decision. It’s not optional,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.
“It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don’t fulfill,” he said.
The US rejected the ICC’s decision and Israel said the ICC move was antisemitic.
“Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government — (they are) being accused of antisemitism,” said Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month.
“I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr. Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That’s enough.”
In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution, and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza.”
The warrant for Al-Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Israel says it has killed Al-Masri.
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has praised the “courageous decision” of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of Netanyahu and Gallant.
“We support the arrest warrant. We consider it important that this courageous decision be carried out by all country members of the accord to renew the trust of humanity in the international system,” Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.
“It is imperative that Western countries — who for years have given the world lessons on law, justice, and human rights — keep their promises at this stage,” added Erdogan, whose country is not a state party in the
ICC accord.
Erdogan has become a fierce critic of Israel since the start of its military offensive on Gaza in October 2023.
He has vowed several times to make sure that Israel’s prime minister is “brought to account” over the Israeli military campaign in the Palestinian territory.
Turkiye and 52 other countries this month sent a letter to the UN demanding an end to arms sales and deliveries to Israel.
Mozambique opposition leader Mondlane sets conditions for post-election talks
- We are open to dialogue. It has to be a genuine dialogue. It cannot be full of traps
MAPUTO: Mozambique’s opposition leader said he would accept the president’s offer of talks after deadly post-election unrest on terms including their being held virtually and legal proceedings against him being dropped.
President Filipe Nyusi invited Venancio Mondlane to his office in Maputo on Nov. 26 after the killing of dozens of people in a police crackdown on demonstrations against the results of the Oct. 9 election.
Mondlane, who says the election was rigged in favor of Nyusi’s Frelimo party, is believed to have left the country for fear of arrest or attack, but his whereabouts are unknown.
“We are open to dialogue,” Mondlane said in a Facebook live address. “It has to be a genuine dialogue. It cannot be full of traps.”
A written reply to Nyusi’s invitation lists as one condition for the meeting: “That the participation of the elected candidate Venancio Mondlane is virtual.”
Authorities have laid criminal and civil charges against him, including for damages caused during protests by his supporters, which has led to his bank accounts being frozen.
Another condition in the document made public by Mondlane’s office is that “the judicial proceedings in question must be immediately terminated.” It also lays out 20 points that Mondlane wants on the agenda for talks, including “restoring electoral truth” and prosecuting anyone involved in vote-rigging.
Others are a public apology and compensation for the deaths during the demonstrations, as well as constitutional, economic, and electoral reforms.
Rights groups have accused Mozambique authorities of using live ammunition on demonstrators in the country, which has been governed since independence from Portugal in 1975 by Frelimo.
The Center for Democracy and Human Rights civil society group says around 65 people have been killed. Mondlane on Friday gave a toll of more than 60.
Nyusi said Tuesday 19 people had died, including five police officers.
The president is meant to hand over to Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo in January, whom the election authority says won 71 percent of votes against 20 percent for Mondlane.
The unrest was discussed Wednesday by regional leaders at a summit of the 16-nation Southern Africa grouping Southern African Development Community, or SADC, which said in a statement afterward that it “extended condolences to the government and people” for the lives lost.
Human Rights Watch criticized the SADC, for failing to denounce Mozambique for excessive use of force.
“SADC has squandered an opportunity to condemn human rights abuses against post-election protesters in Mozambique publicly,” it said in a statement.
The rights watchdog urged the grouping to tell Nyusi’s government to respect the right to peaceful protest and cease using unnecessary and excessive force.
EU recalls its ambassador from Niger
- The EU expresses its profound disagreement with the allegations
NIAMEY: The EU will recall its ambassador from Niger after the country’s ruling military questioned an EU delegation’s management of humanitarian aid meant for flood victims, the European External Action Service, or EEAS, said on Saturday. Niger’s junta issued a statement on Friday accusing the EU ambassador in the West African country of dividing a 1.3 million euro fund to assist flood victims between several international NGOs in a non-transparent manner, and without collaborating with the authorities.
It ordered an audit into the fund’s management as a result.
The EU “expresses its profound disagreement with the allegations and justifications put forward by the transitional authorities,” the EEAS said in a statement.
“Consequently, the EU has decided to recall its ambassador from Niamey for consultations in Brussels.”
Niger has been under military rule since the junta seized power in a 2023 coup.
Afghanistan bets on ‘red gold’ for global market presence
- Afghanistan is the world’s second-largest saffron producer, after Iran
- Afghan saffron has been for years recognized as the world’s best
Kabul: As the saffron harvest season is underway in Afghanistan, traders are expecting better yields than in previous years, sparking hopes that exports of the precious crop, known locally as “red gold,” will help uplift the country’s battered economy and livelihoods.
Afghanistan is the world’s second-largest saffron producer, after Iran, but it ranks first in terms of quality. In June, the Belgium-based International Taste Institute for the ninth consecutive year recognized Afghan saffron as the world’s best.
Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, selling for about $2,000 per kilogram. Its exports provide critical foreign currency to Afghanistan, where US-imposed sanctions have severely affected the fragile economy since the Taliban took control in 2021.
With this year’s production expected to exceed 50 tons — about double that of the 2023 and 2022 seasons — the government and the Afghanistan National Saffron Union are trying to boost exports abroad.
“The harvest of saffron this year is good. During the first nine months (of 2024), Afghanistan exported around 46 tons of saffron to different countries,” Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesperson at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, told Arab News.
“Everywhere our traders want to export saffron, we support them in any part of the world through air corridors and facilitating the participation of Afghan traders in national and international exhibitions.”
Known to have been cultivated for at least 2,000 years, saffron is well suited to Afghanistan’s dry climate, especially in Herat, where 90 percent of it is produced. Most of the spice’s trade is also centered in the province, which last weekend inaugurated its International Saffron Trade Center to facilitate exports.
“The new international saffron trade center is established with global standards and will bring major processing and trade companies to one place providing a single venue for farmers to trade their products with the best possible conditions,” Mohammad Ibrahim Adil, head of the Afghanistan National Saffron Union, told Arab News.
The union’s main export market is India, where saffron is a common ingredient in food, followed by Gulf countries — especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Saffron exports bring the much-needed foreign currency to Afghanistan contributing significantly to stabilization of the financial cycle in the country,” said Qudratullah Rahmati, the saffron union’s deputy head.
The union estimates that saffron contributes about $100 million to the Afghan economy a year.
Most, or 95 percent, of the workers are women, according to the saffron union.
“Saffron production is supporting many families, especially women, during the harvest and processing phase through short-term and long-term employment opportunities. There are around 80-85 registered small and big saffron companies in Herat and the small ones employ four to five people while the bigger ones have up to 80 permanent staff,” said Qudratullah Rahmati, the saffron union’s deputy head.
Harvesting the little purple saffron crocus flowers is heavily labor intensive, as each of them needs to be picked by hand. Once the flowers are picked, their tiny orange stigmas are separated for drying. About 440,000 stigmas are needed to produce one kilogram of the fragrant spice.
The harvest season usually begins between October and November are lasts just a few weeks before the flowers wilt.
Pressure ramps up at UN talks to reach a deal for cash to curb and adapt to climate change
- The rough draft of a new proposal circulating in that room was getting soundly rejected, especially by African nations and small island states
- The “current deal is unacceptable for us. We need to speak to other developing countries and decide what to do,” Evans Njewa, the chair of the LDC group, said
BAKU: As nerves frayed and the clock ticked, negotiators from rich and poor nations were huddled in one room Saturday during overtime United Nations climate talks to try to hash out an elusive deal on money for developing countries to curb and adapt to climate change.
But the rough draft of a new proposal circulating in that room was getting soundly rejected, especially by African nations and small island states, according to messages relayed from inside. Then a group of negotiators from the Least Developed Countries bloc and the Alliance of Small Island States walked out because they didn’t want to engage with the rough draft.
The “current deal is unacceptable for us. We need to speak to other developing countries and decide what to do,” Evans Njewa, the chair of the LDC group, said.
When asked if the walkout was a protest, Colombia environment minister Susana Mohamed told The Associated Press: “I would call this dissatisfaction, (we are) highly dissatisfied.”
The last official draft on Friday pledged $250 billion annually by 2035, more than double the previous goal of $100 billion set 15 years ago but far short of the annual $1 trillion-plus that experts say is needed. The rough draft discussed on Saturday was for $300 billion, sources told AP.
Accusations of a war of attrition
Developing countries accused the rich of trying to get their way — and a small financial aid package — via a war of attrition. And small island nations, particularly vulnerable to climate change’s worsening impacts, accused the host country presidency of ignoring them for the entire two weeks.
After bidding one of his suitcase-lugging delegation colleagues goodbye and watching the contingent of about 20 enter the room for the European Union, Panama chief negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez had enough.
“Every minute that passes we are going to just keep getting weaker and weaker and weaker. They don’t have that issue. They have massive delegations,” Gomez said. “This is what they always do. They break us at the last minute. You know, they push it and push it and push it until our negotiators leave. Until we’re tired, until we’re delusional from not eating, from not sleeping.”
With developing nations’ ministers and delegation chiefs having to catch flights home, desperation sets in, said Power Shift Africa’s Mohamed Adow. “The risk is if developing countries don’t hold the line, they will likely be forced to compromise and accept a goal that doesn’t add up to get the job done,” he said.
Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States issued a statement saying they “were not part of the discussion that gave rise to these imbalanced texts” and asked the COP29 presidency to listen to them.
A climate cash deal is still elusive
Wealthy nations are obligated to help vulnerable countries under an agreement reached at these talks in Paris in 2015. Developing nations are seeking $1.3 trillion to help adapt to droughts, floods, rising seas and extreme heat, pay for losses and damages caused by extreme weather, and transition their energy systems away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward clean energy.
For Panama’s negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez even a higher $300 billion figure is “still crumbs.”
“How do you go from the request of $1.3 trillion to $300 billion? I mean, is that even half of what we put forth?” he asked.
On Saturday morning, Irish environment minister Eamon Ryan said that there’ll likely be a new number for climate finance in the next draft. “But it’s not just that number — it’s how do you get to $1.3 trillion,” he said.
Ryan said that any number reached at the COP will have to be supplemented with other sources of finance, for example through a market for carbon emissions where polluters would pay to offset the carbon they spew.
The amount in any deal reached at COP negotiations — often considered a “core” — will then be mobilized or leveraged for greater climate spending. But much of that means loans for countries drowning in debt.
Teresa Anderson, the global lead on climate justice at Action Aid, said that in order to get a deal, “the presidency has to put something far better on the table.”
“The US in particular, and rich countries, need to do far more to to show that they’re willing for real money to come forward,” she said. “And if they don’t, then LDCs (Least Developed Countries) are unlikely to find that there’s anything here for them.”
Anger and frustration over state of negotiations
Alden Meyer of the climate think tank E3G said it’s still up in the air whether a deal on finance will come out of Baku at all.
“It is still not out of the question that there could be an inability to close the gap on the finance issue,” he said. “That obviously is not an ideal scenario.”
Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, the Sierra-Leone environment minister, echoed that sentiment, saying “a bad deal may be worse than no deal for us.”
Nations were also angry at potential backsliding on commitments to slash fossil fuels. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock called out rich fossil fuel emitters who she said have “ripped off” climate vulnerable states.
“We are in the midst of a geopolitical power play by a few fossil fuel states,” Baerbock said. “We have to do everything to come toward the 1.5 degree (Celsius, 2.7 Fahrenheit) pathway” of keeping warming below that temperature limit since preindustrial times, she said.
But despite the fractures between nations, some still held out hopes for the talks.
“We remain optimistic,” said Nabeel Munir of Pakistan, who chairs one of the talks standing negotiating committees.
When asked how, COP29 climate champion Nigar Arpadarai chimed in. “We have no choice,” she said, as the harms of climate change continue to worsen.
