This Tuesday, Carles Puigdemont met with Members of the U.S. Congress Eliot Engel, Dana Rohrabacher and Francis Rooney in the Capitol Building (Washington D.C.) to explain the situation in Catalonia “to those who are very interested in knowing what is happening”, the President said.

 

In his comments to the press, the President of the Catalan Government compared the openness demonstrated by U.S. Representatives with the attitude and “little interest” that exists in the Spanish political setting. As an example of this contrast, Puigdemont cited the recent decision reached by the Senate in refusing his request to hold conference, similar to the one held in the European Parliament, in Spain’s territorial chamber.

 

The aim of these meetings, Puigdemont affirmed, is to “explain ourselves to those who are interested in understanding the situation”. “They are aware of the critical moment surrounding the [political] process and are very attentive to what can happen”, he told members of the press in Washington D.C.

 

President Puigdemont also highlighted the importance of the meetings as sign of the growing interest regarding the Catalan issue and noted that the United States is a country “used to resolving issues by voting”. “We have found, in the places we’ve been so far, that there is a clear interest in understanding the matter […]. They know what our Government has decided to do, and because it is an issue that transcends Spanish domestic policy, what a good politician must do is to ask and inform him or herself”, he added.

 

“We are in a process that will culminate in a referendum and, if there is a clear result in favour of independence, there will be politicians who will have a very precise understanding Catalonia’s position”, the President explained. “The moment we Catalans vote and decide for ourselves will be the moment everyone accepts that the issue is not just a domestic one and, therefore, countries will have to hold positions based on that scenario”, he concluded.

 

Representative Eliot L. Engel a congressman from New York and is the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee including the Subcommittee on Health, and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

 

Laurence Francis Rooney is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 19th congressional district. As a member of the Republican Party he served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 until 2008, He currently serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.  

 

Dana Rohrabacher is the Republican Party representative for California and chairs the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats. He was one of President Reagan's senior speech writers and helped to formulate the 40^th President’s Economic Bill of Rights policy proposals.