Spain restarts talks to resolve Catalan secession crisis

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s prime minister and the leader of Catalonia have restarted negotiations in hopes of finding a solution to the ongoing political crisis caused by the region’s separatist movement. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met Wednesday with regional president Pere Aragonès at the seat of the Catalan government in downtown Barcelona. Expectations are low for any huge advances from the meeting. The Catalans will repeat their demand for an independence referendum that Sánchez has said is a non-starter. The talks have opened a rift inside the separatist camp between those like Aragonès who call them a “historic opportunity” and those who call them a waste of time.