Catalan Regional President , Carles Puigdemont

Catalonia’s secessionist leader on Monday faced increased pressure to abandon plans to declare the region independent from Spain, with France and Germany expressing support for the country’s unity.

The Madrid government, grappling with Spain’s biggest political crisis since an attempted military coup in 1981, made it clear that it would respond immediately to any such unilateral declaration.

A week on from a referendum on independence which the government did its utmost to thwart, more signs were emerging that the fraught situation was also taking its toll on the business climate of Spain’s wealthiest region.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is due to address the regional parliament on Tuesday and the Madrid government is worried it will vote for a unilateral declaration of independence.

Catalan officials said that people voted overwhelmingly for secession in the ballot, which was declared illegal by the government and was marked by police violence against independence supporters.

However, the issue has deeply divided the north-eastern region itself as well the Spanish nation.

Hundreds of thousands of unionists took to the streets of Barcelona at the weekend to protest against the region breaking away.

Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaría, buoyed by the show of support, said: “I‘m calling on the sensible people in the Catalan government, don’t jump off the edge because you’ll take the people with you.

“If there is a unilateral declaration of independence there will be decisions made to restore law and democracy,” Saenz de Santamaría told newsmen.

Backing also came from European heavyweights Germany and France.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said Merkel spoke to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday about the crisis.

She stressed her support for Spain’s unity but also encouraged more dialogue.

The country’s health sector has been badly battered while a struggle over the central bank has left public sector salaries for doctors and sanitation workers unpaid.

Soumaya Beltifa, spokesperson for the Red Cross in Sanaa, warned that a lack of funds and health personnel were blunting efforts to eradicate the disease, making it unlikely Yemen would be healthy again soon.

“The cholera epidemic has become a norm, leading to complacency in dealing with the disease, not only by civilians but also from the various (aid) organisations,’’ she warned.

(Reuters/NAN)