LOC23:28
20:28 GMT
MADRID, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- Spanish judiciary Friday issued a European arrest warrant against sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, currently in Belgium, after failing to appear before the court yesterday to answer for charges against him.
Spain's Supreme Court also issued similar arrest warrants against four members of the sacked regional government of Catalonia, who are with Puigdemont in Brussels, the official TV reported.
The arrest warrants were issued upon request by the Spanish prosecution, who accused Puigdemont and his 13 cabinet members of munity and sedition in the wake of the unilteral declaration of independence last week.
Puigdemont said in a TV interview in Brussels earlier that he wanted to submit to the Belgian justice, but not to the Spanish.
"I'm not here to request political asylum, but I'm here to defend a legitimate government against illegal Spanish intervention against the lack of legal guarantees in a political case," he told the Belgian RTBF TV in an interview.
"I have not fled, but in Spain it was impossible to prepare me well (for his defence)," said Puigdemont and added that he came to Belgium to avoid a wave of violence in Catalonia.
"Violence has never been an option for us," he added.
Puigdemont said that since his arrival in Brussels on Monday he has not had any contact with Belgian politicians. "I'm not here to blend me into Belgian politics," he said and stressed that the only way to solve the crisis is dialogue.
Catalonia held a referendum on independence from Spain on 1 October which was declared by a Spanish constitutional court illegal.
Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy imposed direct rule on Catalonia, dissolving the regional parliament and calling local elections for 21 December. This followed after the Catalan parliament voted to declare the independence of the region. (end)
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