The question of Catalan independence

Our editorial has been in contact with a member of the Catalan community, Mr Marc Unio Puig from Tordera, Catalonia. Due to the separatist movement of the Catalan community in recent years, we asked him to widen the picture of the ongoing situation between the Spanish government and Catalan claims for independence, which are deeply rooted in history. The story of Mr. Puig was forwarded to the representative of the Spain in the United Nations as we asked her to comment on the situation in question.

From the story of Mr Puig it is obvious that most Catalans do not have feelings of belonging to the Spanish nation and consequently have claims for their own independent country, since they would not like to see their kids in the future to be 'hispanicized' as Spanish Minister of Education stated a month ago.
Despite national claims Ms. Eminić opposes to the idea of the independence of Catalonia due to some parts of the Spanish Constitution and unstable economic conditions in Spain. It seems that stronger democratic institutions and procedures as well as competitive economy are the elements that Spain need the most at the moment.

Mr. Puig, who explained us:

"The political conflict between Catalonia and Spain comes from long time ago. It’s usually pointed the dictatorship of the fascist Franco, who ruled the country for almost forty years after a devastating Civil War, as the beginning of this, but it came from before. However, during the dictatorship, the strikes against Catalan culture and identity were hard and continuous. In the imaginary of the fascist government, only the Spanish culture had space in the country called Spain. One language, one culture, one nation. With the “transition”, the political process started after the dead of Franco that brought Spain to the democracy, the other nations in Spain (Catalans, Vasquishs, Gallegos) were recognized and it seemed that finally Spain was understood as a country formed by adding some nations, respecting the identity, culture and language not only of the Spanish, also of the others. And it relatively worked for some years. But the idea of the unique culture haven’t ever disappeared, and during the last decade the attacks against our identity have increased a lot.

I think the clearest point of this breaking process comes from July 2010. After four years of hard –and tiring- negotiations, the parliament of Catalonia approved a new “Catalan constitution”, the main low of Catalonia that, however, is always under the Spanish constitution. The parliament approved this law with a wide majority of the parties (even with the non-nationalists), afterwards this law was sent to the Spanish parliament (it had to be approved there) and following their approval it was voted on a referendum and approved by 73% of the Catalan population. This law was planned as the new way for the future to establish the relations between Catalonia and Spain and it was finally cancelled by a tribunal. Here is the break. How a Spanish tribunal can say that a law is not legal after that Catalan parliament, Spanish parliament and finally the people of Catalonia approved on a referendum? The main problem was because it said Catalonia is a nation, or, the worst part, because it recognised that Catalan is our language – as well as Spanish- and the institutions have to preserve it.

This process was the verification of a fact. After 30 years of democracy, while Catalans have contributed a lot to the growth and peace in Spain, Spain doesn’t recognize us like what we are. And most of Catalans, that during this time of democracy have tried to make Spain as a country of some cultures, they give up. The ones who defended Catalonia inside Spain (the majority before) now they defend the independence. To make it more understandable, one month ago, the Education Minister of Spain said that the new education law they are preparing has to “Hispanicize the Catalan kids”. It is one example of what happens every day. And people here have said it’s enough.

It’s enough, and now what? Now we ask for a referendum. We want to decide our future, and we want to vote it on a referendum. Spanish government and all Spanish parties (with Catalonia issue they don’t have any difference) say that we are not allowed to do it. Just they can allow it, and they won’t. And this answer only makes people more convinced that we don’t have space on a country that doesn’t allow us to make a referendum. Fortunately, Catalans have always been a peaceful people, and we will use only the democracy. As more as they deny the referendum, harder we will ask for it. Finally, we will vote. The ones who want the independence and the ones who don’t. "

The comment of the Spanish delegate:

"Spain is going through tough, challenging times. Economic crisis has hit us very hard, and right in the moment, when Spanish nation should be more connected than ever, internal tensions have arisen. In less than a quarter of century, Spanish nation has gone through many changes. This journey has thought us many things, most importantly being the awareness that there can be no peace without dialogue and peaceful negotiations.

1978 Constitution has set Spain on the path of democracy and modernity and placed it at the forefront of protecting and ensuring human rights. Constitution proclaims ‘the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation’, while recognizing and guaranteeing ‘the right to autonomy of the nationalities and the regions’. The ‘nationalities’ are Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia.  Each has its own government. The different language minorities are protected by the autonomous regions.

Minorities in our country, among them Catalans, enjoy a substantial amount of rights, which allow them to preserve their unique cultural characteristics. Spain recognizes the diversity within its borders and does not treat it as threat but rather as an opportunity to grow and develop together.

Recently, there has been deterioration in relations between central government and Catalan parliament, yet there is absolutely nothing irreparable in the damaged relationship between Spain and Catalonia. Everything connects us to Catalonia: centuries of history, business and personal relationships. As Prime Minister Rajoy has said: “I cannot imagine Catalonia without Spain or Spain without Catalonia. In the last 30 years, we have experienced increased welfare and progress of all. This is a positive balance.” And this is exactly how most of Spanish people feel about this issue.

Central government has shown its willingness to negotiate and compromise, yet it cannot support illegal and unilateral actions by Catalan Parliament. Referendum, that Catalans propose, is illegal and thus the government of Spain cannot allow it. Barcelona's assertion of autonomy violates "the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation". The only way a referendum could be held would be if it was called by central government and allowed people across the whole of Spain, not just Catalonia, to vote. This is a matter that affects all Spanish people and thus all should vote. Central government is prepared to talk about this issue, but if we want to reach some kind of understanding, there is no room for unilateral actions that are not compatible with Spanish Constitution.

There is still time to improve the relations. The separation would hit harshly both Spain and Catalonia, so it is in the interest of us all to reach agreement. Central government is determined to improve the relationship with Catalonia, so that we can remain together for centuries to come. Unity must overcome economic crisis."

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Documentary commissioned by Sobirania i Progrés to internationalize the Catalan case:

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Violence in China - The Chinese Delegate comments:

In the clashes in Xinjiang, an ethnically divided western region of China,  21 people were killed today. Among them were 15 police officers and social workers, ten of them Uighurs, an ethnic minority living in the province of Xinjiang, three Han Chinese, and two Mongolians. It was also said that two other Uighurs were injured. The ethnicity of the assailants was not given. Local official states that the violence began on Tuesday, when three local officials repotted that a group of suspects, armed with knives, is hiding in a house in the village Selibuya. 

However, for a long time the region has been a focal point of ethnic and racial tensions. The death toll in this region was the highest  in July 2009 between Uighurs and Han Chinese, where nearly 200 people were killed in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi. In January 2012, two Uighurs who sought asylum in Cambodia after the ethnic clashes in 2009 were sent to serve life sentence by the Chinese authorities.

As the incidents highlight the chaotic nature of the violence in Xinjiang, we asked the representative of China to explain how does China intend to solve/manage ethnic tensions in this region, since he said at the GA opening session that China is capable to solve inter-ethnic issues on its own?

"Firstly, the government of the People's Republic of China would like to emphasize that this violence is not primarily about inter-ethnic issues. Unfortunately a small militant group of thugs is trying to provoke extremism, separatism and terrorism and present it as an inter-ethnic issue. 

China is able and is in fact resolving its inter-ethnic issues on its own. Let us remind the international community of our comprehensive approach to ethnic minorities, which enjoy even more rights than the majority population i.e. they are treated preferentially. Uygur in Xinjiang enjoy autonomy, Xinjiang Autonomous Region was established already in 1955. Government respects their language; when imporant meetings on the national level are held, all the documents are availible in Uygur and languages of other minority communities. Uygur culture is respected very much. In the region there are even 35 hospitals of Uygur medicine. Furthermore, the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China prohibits discrimination against or oppression of any nationality and acts which undermine the unity of the nationalities."

Xinjiang is home to thirteen major ethnic groups. Uighurs are the largest among these groups, with more than eight million people, or 45 percent of the region's population. They are predominantly Muslim, with cultural ties stretching to Central Asia. Many of them complain about the restrictions imposed by Beijing on cultural and religious life and feel that they have been marginalized by policies favoring Han migrants. China's presence in the region is believed by some to be a form of Imperialism. Movements for independence have been active since the nineties, with separatist groups like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) appearing after the large inflow of Han Chinese into the region. Xinjiang shares a border with Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. China claims much of the violence is orchestrated by Uighur activists based in the West or in Pakistan and other neighboring countries, but has provided little evidence publicly. In a 2008 report, Amnesty International accused Chinese officials of using the war on terror to justify "harsh repression of ethnic Uighurs. 

The representative of China commented to the above arguments: 

"China is home to 56 ethnic groups, which can fully enjoy their rights and they are all part of the same family. Among others, freedom of belief of ethnic minorities is respected and guaranteed.

However, Western reckless attitude towards other nations, especially its negative role in Afghanistan has provoked that terrorism, separatism and extremism had some effect on our country as well. Because of that, it is even more important to solve these tensions on a national and local level.

Stability is vitally important in a country of 1.3 billion people. Without stabile political environment China would not have been as successful as it is. For this reason it is vitally important to ensure stability and prevent terrorist activities. Fifteen police officers were killed, while attending their duties. This is violence, which every singe country has a right and a duty to suppress. It is injust to caracterize the same acts in one country as acts of terrorism and in another country as inter-ethnic issues."

Xinjiang borders Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Because of the Uighur's cultural ties to its neighbors, therefore I was wondering how much is China worried that Central Asian states may support separatist movement in Xinjiang and what would be your reaction in case the latter happens?

The delegate of China stated:

"People's Republic of China is maintaining strong ties with its neighbour countries, which respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. For example, even thoguh the violence in Afghanistan is still ongoing, we have deepened cooperation and help to this country. In fact, China is the biggest investor in Afghanistan.

Some responses in international community prove again that it is utterly important that this issue stays in our own hands. Nobody should abuse this unfortunate outburst of violence for politization. After all, after the sad event at the Boston marathon, nobody accused USA of being repressive toward Muslim minority. It was a terrorist act and it was addressed like that. We would be grateful if the international community used the same measures in China."

Sources:

AlJazeera. 2013. Violence erupts in China's restive Xinjiang. Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/04/201342461038596954.htm DW. 2013. Fatal clash in China's Xinjiang region. Available at: http://www.dw.de/fatal-clash-in-chinas-xinjiang-region/a-16766547?maca=en-TWITTER-EN-2004-xml-mrss Council on Foreign Relations. 2012. Uighurs and China's Xinjang Region. Available at: http://www.cfr.org/china/uighurs-chinas-xinjiang-region/p16870 FoxNews. 2013. Local government says 21 dead in west China clash sparked by 'terrorism'. Available at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/24/local-government-says-21-dead-in-west-china-clash-sparked-by-terrorism/#ixzz2RPca62tS

Fatal clash in China's Xinjiang region

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G8 and forced migrations

You might have recalled the G8 working dinner statement from about two weeks ago. Among other things they also discussed the topic of forced migrations. Both the UK and USA were advocating a case-by-case approach, whereas Italy suggested that the states should also focus on burden sharing ideas. We conducted an interview with all six member states present in our GA and asked them about their plans.

While on a very  fundamental basis they do seme to agree, we have noticed some differences in priorities. While some emphasize prevention of forced migrations and protection of forced migrants, others do put the responsibility of states and the policy of burden sharing rather high on their priority scale. Most of them have already discussed the topic also with member states outside the G8 coalition but it seems that some agreements have been made more or less on regional levels.

United Kingdom wants to focus on both prevention and protection of displaced persons (refugees and IDPs). The delegate of United States of America stressed that human trafficking should be addressed also as it is important for this topic. Italy agreed with the representative of UK about prevention and it also believes that all states should share their responsibility for preventing and protecting forced migrants. The main goals of Russian Federation are to reduce statelessness, to provide that basic principles in camps are not obstructed and delimited and to prevent the abuse of granted status. France's objectives are better prevention of froced migrations and to establish a policy of burden sharing. Germany stresses that forced migrations are a serious problem and the delegate also emphasized that burden sharing is one of the solutions, although some issues on the financial part should be included so that all member states participate more than they do right now.

And how do they plan to achieve these goals? UK says by connecting different states and coalitions, discussing these topics in greater details and to look for points of consensus. USA will be disucssing this with all member states as they would like to include all states and their perspectives. Also delegate of Italy emphasized the importance of cooperation with as many member states as possible and searching for compromises. Russian Federation wants to increase collaboration with UNHCR and other states and also the overall international cooperation - but they emphasize that it must be done without interfering in the internal affairs of states.

As they all mentioned cooperation with other states, we asked them which specifically did they have in mind. UK mentioned that many European states have expressed positions that are very common to theirs and they havealso been discussing it with Commonwealth nations which have been receptive for their opinions. USA has discussed the topic within the Organization of American States. Italy has cooperated with other states that have problems with forced migrations - either receiving or member sttaes. Within this topic the Russian Federation will cooperate with G8 but they also wish to cooperate with BRICS states. France has discussed it with EU and Turkey and some African states. Germany has been cooperating with other states, especially on G8 and EU basis but the delegate did not want to comment the cooperation in detail.

See more in the video below. In the second part the image is rather poor (blurry) because of some technical issues, but the speech is very clear - which matters the most.

Tamara Kajtazović

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EU Meeting - Statement

Earlier this week, April 16th, the EU states met to discuss this year agenda of the GA. The meeting took place on the Faculty of Social Sciences and it was organized by the representative of Italy. 

According to information from the media statement, that Ms Tjaša Božič, the representative of the Italy send us, the delegates that were present involved United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Italy. Meeting was proceeded without the delegation of the Czech Republic, who was unfortunately unable to attend the meeting. However in the media statement the representative of Italy highlighted: "This meeting was a great opportunity for EU member states to meet and discuss topics on the agenda, especially since some of them are extremely important for the EU as a whole."

As already said, all of the topic of this year GA agenda were discussed. Promoting the values of the EU (promotion of the human rights, rule of law and democracy) the highest consensus was reached on the the topic of the forced migrations and minority issues. Regarding the latter topic, they have agreed about some steps that could be done in order to prevent and eliminate some issues that form main minority grievances such as occurrence of discrimination, hate speech and violence . 

On the other hand it seems that states of the EU are not of the same opinion when it comes to the question of the reform of the SC - so that it was not possible to precise how to put the reform into effect.

However the EU states agreed to continue the cooperation on informal and formal level in order to improve the outcomes of GA sessions.

Bellow you can read media statement issued by representative of Italy, Ms Tjaša Božič:

"On Tuesday April 16^th 2013 Italy hosted European Union (EU) meeting, which was held at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and invited all distinguished EU delegations represented in the 2013 Session of the General Assembly of the UN.

The meeting was attended by the delegations of United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Italy. Delegation of Czech Republic was unfortunately unable to attend the meeting, but sent us her deepest apologies and agreed to all statements written in this press release. This meeting was a great opportunity for EU member states to meet and discuss topics on the agenda, especially since some of them are extremely important for the EU as a whole.

On the topic of forced migration the states discussed the importance of prevention of forced migration and role of the international community. EU is a recipient of many forced migrants and is therefore aware that most of them come to EU because of conflicts, persecutions, violations of human rights and environmental catastrophes. All states agreed that we have to prevent future forced migration, especially through promotion of human rights, democracy and international law, and through improvement of infrastructure, protection of environment, promotion of social cohesion, etc. EU member states recognized the need that all states should mitigate the causes of forced migration. All EU states agreed that they will respect human rights of all persons and remain committed to helping rebuild society, infrastructure and trust in affected states. They came to an agreement that sending developmental aid, while keeping in mind contributing factors of displacement, such as climate change is crucial. 

They also highlighted the importance of protection of human rights of all displaced persons until their return home. EU powers also recognized the need that all states participate in the post-conflict or post-crisis rebuilding process. It is important that they help rebuild the living space in affected countries, make sure that conditions for return are good and safe enough and not send displaced persons back to their countries until they have somewhere to go. Since UNHCR is also responsible for that, it should be allocated more money and not be based anymore on voluntary contributions. A consensus exists among EU member states that all countries should contribute to UNHCR’s budget. 

On the topic of minorities all present states agreed that basic human rights of all human beings have to be respected, and stressed the importance of equality, solidarity and tolerance. Because of various international treaties safeguarding human rights of all individuals, the EU shares a common view that discrimination, hate speech, racially and ethnically motivated violence and extremism are deplorable acts and therefore the international community should cooperate fully to prevent and eliminate their occurrence. This could be done through education of minorities, raising awareness, building trust, and fostering social cohesion.

On the topic of the Security Council reform all states agreed that the Security Council has to be reformed, but they do not share a common view on the content, ways and means of the reform. 

All EU states expressed their willingness to continue cooperating formally and informally for the purposes of upcoming GA sessions. The EU is an important actor in international relations and should be a strong, unified force strenthening the improvement of outcomes of these sessions. With its full cooperation, the EU can also assure that its values, interests and goals are not overlooked."

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G8 Working Dinner Statement

April 6th was marked by a Working Dinner of G8 Member States. As Ms. Petković, delegate of UK, told us: "The representatives present were USA, Italy, France, Russia and UK. Germany was unable to come. The other two remaining states are not represented in our GA composition."

In their press release they stated that ambassadors of United States of America and United Kingdom have been working closely to determine how to prevent future cases of forced migration and how to strengthen legal protection and better provide aid to refugees and internally displaced persons. They have also been building upon common positions regarding protection of minorities although the two states take slightly different positions on the matter.

They said that the ideas of the US and UK ambassadors were presented to the other present G8 states and most were well received.

Common plans, common standpoints?
On the topic of forced migration the states discussed the role of the international community and level of involvement for different cases of displacement. Both the UK and USA are advocating a case-by-case approach, whereas Italy suggested that the states should also focus on burden sharing ideas. Some G8 states agreed that looking into such proposals would be particularly advantageous.
 Another important issue discussed by the G8 were the causes of displacement, which will warrant strengthened protection and assistance.

On the topic of minorities, hurdles remain, because not all states recognize 'national minorities' in their national legislation, but do award all rights based on equality and non-discrimination to all individuals.

All G8 states expressed their willingness to continue cooperating informally and formally in the next two months in order to ensure that concrete resolutions are passed at the GA.

The UN Herald plans to conduct six detailed interviews with each G8 delegate on both topics. Expect them online next week! 

Below you will find the full media statement and also additional statement by the delegate of UK.

"On Saturday 6 April 2013 the UK hosted a G8 Working Dinner and invited all distinguished G8 delegations represented in the UNGA session to be held from April to May 2013. The G8 Working Dinner was held in Ljubljana at the residency of the Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United States, Russian Federation, France and Italy were able to attend this event, which proved to be an excellent opportunity for the delegations to meet and discuss topics on the agenda. Germany was unfortunately unable to attend, but the senior representative sent his deepest apologies and subsequently agreed to all statements written in this press release. 

The Ambassadors of United States of America and United Kingdom have been working closely to determine how to prevent future cases of forced migration, how to strengthen legal protection to refugees and better provide aid to both internally displaced persons and those who have fled across the border. They have also been building upon common positions regarding protection of minorities although the two states take slightly different positions on the matter. 

These ideas were presented to the other present G8 states and most were well received. On the topic of forced migration the states discussed the role of the international community and level of involvement for different cases of displacement, but both UK and USA are advocating a case-by-case approach. Italy suggested that we also focus on burden sharing ideas and some G8 states agreed that looking into such proposals would be particularly advantageous. Another important issue discussed by the G8 are the causes of displacement, which will warrant strengthened protection and assistance. 

On the topic of minorities, hurdles remain, because not all states recognize 'national minorities' in their national legislation, but do award all rights based on equality and non-discrimination to all individuals. Therefore all G8 powers agree that the wording of any future draft resolutions will have to reflect this fact. G8 states also agreed that respecting the principles of equality, equal opportunities, non-discrimination is a strategy of combating inter-ethnic violence involving minorities. 

The G8 states are now able to collectively state that they deplore all racially, ethnically and religiously motivated violence and hate crime. They are willing to take practical and effective actions to prevent intolerance, discrimination, and all forms of extremism. 

All G8 states expressed their willingness to continue cooperating informally and formally in the next two months in order to ensure that concrete resolutions are passed at the GA, but also that our common interests are protected. The outcome of this conference is expected to enhance discussions among the G8 Heads of State and Governments."

The delegate of UK, Ms. Petković, provided us with an additional statement:

"As part of the UK's G8 Presidency in 2013, we were pleased to host an informal event for the G8 representatives of the UNGA. The issues of forced migration and inter-ethnic conflict involving minorities is a pertinent issue for the UK and this was an opportunity to set the agenda for G8 discussions. Both topics are closely related to international security and peace and economic prosperity, two broad global challenges facing the international community. In the spirit of our 2013 G8 Presidency, we aimed at creating the right environment for frank and open discussions. Heated debates among the G8 states only go to show the complexity of the issues ahead of us. We were able to agree on many points, but this is just the first step.

Without genuine ambition we may be disappointed with lofty promises and wide-spread indifference." 

 

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Interview: UN Delegate of India - addressing the problem of minorities

Roma people still remain one of the most marginalized and discriminated ethnic groups in the world, which is mostly encouraged with cultural differences, non-acceptance of their way of live and a certain degree of fear of the unknown. To move behind these borders  delegates of India, China, Italy, Indonesia, Ethiopia, South Africa and UN Herald took a closer look at Roma community in Slovenia and visited Kerinov grm, Hudeje and Šmihel. What we realized is that a particular problem of this ethnic group is still very low level of education which have recently been improving slightly, but tangible results are still lacking. Low employment and participation in the labor market is subject to diverse social and political factors, such as non-acceptance which arise from cultural differences, prejudices and stereotypes as well as low level of education. The delegate of India was at the visit with us, so we asked her for a few words, since we know that Roma are a people native to India, which they left about 1500 years ago.

This short interview took place in Hudeje, where it was, April the 5th,  celebrated the International Day of the Roma. 

April the 8^th is the International Roma day as it was established at the First Romani World Congress in 1971 in London. Therefore UN Herald wants to extend our sincere congratulations to all Roma people.

Aleksandra Đurđević

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Disclaimer: This information is fictive and serves for the purposes of the UN simulation only

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