Catalan leader fails to spell out independence stance, calls for talks
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont failed to clarify on Monday whether he had declared Catalonia's independence from Spain last week, paving the way for the central government to take control of the region and rule it directly.
The wealthy region's threatened to break away following a referendum in Oct. 1 that Spain's Constitutional Court said was illegal. That plunged the country into its worst political crisis since an attempted military coup in 1981.
Puigdemont made a symbolic declaration of independence on Tuesday, but suspended it seconds later and called for negotiations with Madrid on the region's future.
