Catalan leader says regional parliament may vote on independence if no talks

MADRID – Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on Thursday said the regional parliament could vote on a formal declaration of independence from Spain if the central government failed to hold talks with Catalonia, ignoring a deadline to drop a secession bid.

"If the government continues to impede dialogue and continues with the repression, the Catalan parliament could proceed, if it is considered opportune, to vote on a formal declaration of independence," Puigdemont said in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Marian Rajoy.

Puigdemont made the letter public only minutes before a 10 am deadline he had been given by Rajoy to retract an ambiguous declaration of independence he made last week.