Mariano Rajoy reiterates that his priority is to guarantee national unity

2018.1.29

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COPE, Madrid

The President of the Government spoke by phone with the presenter of the programme 'La Tarde' on the COPE radio station, Ángel Expósito, broadcast live from the Spanish base 'Miguel de Cervantes' in Lebanon.

Mariano Rajoy argued that the ruling handed down on Saturday by the Constitutional Court, in response to the claim lodged by the government against the candidature of Carles Puigdemont to the Presidency of the Regional Government of Catalonia, "is very clear and has reassured us all" and responds to common sense. "A man who has fled justice, who has sought to unilaterally wipe out our national sovereignty and national unity, clearly cannot be the president of anything".

Mariano Rajoy sent out a message of calm to the people. "In Spain, the rule of law, the law and the courts all work, and while I am President of the Government, whatever people may say to me, I will meet the most important obligation I have, which is to guarantee national unity". The President of the Government added that "this is the top priority of any President of the Government".

Overseas missions

The President of the Government highlighted the work of the Spanish troops deployed in Lebanon (UNFIL) since September 2006. Most of the contingent, made up of between 600 and 700 servicemen, are stationed at the 'Miguel de Cervantes' base, close to the town of Marjayoun, where the Headquarters of the East Sector are located, headed up by Spain.

One of the main tasks of the UN mission in Lebanon is to oversee the cessation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and to accompany and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south of the country and all along the so-called Blue Line separating the two countries.

The President of the Government also recalled the servicemen posted in other countries, such as Afghanistan, Mali, Senegal, Turkey and Djibouti. He also stressed that the Army's mission is "to guarantee security, liberty and the rights of the Spanish people and all of our allies throughout the world". "The Army helps keep the peace, helps the civilian population and helps recover normality, and also trains police forces from other countries", he stated.

Mariano Rajoy also mentioned rescue operations that Spain, together with other European Union countries, carries out in the Mediterranean and which, for example, this weekend, led to more than 300 people being rescued off the coast of Libya. "I believe that we can feel very proud of what our servicemen do and that is something that Spanish society as a whole increasingly acknowledges", he concluded.

Non official translation