Letters

摘要

I read the references to Catalonia in your special report on Spain (November 8th). Catalonia is a small nation, but for the past 1,000 years it has shown a clear will for self-government. The new Statute of Autonomy has not "gone too far", as you suggest. It goes as far as has been democratically agreed between citizens and their political institutions.rnYou described our language as "an obsession for the nationalists". Since 1979 parliament and government have viewed the Catalan language as an important tool for social promotion and integration (which is not the same as assimilation). The government aims to make sure that all its culturally diverse citizens have equal opportunities. That is why we are, for instance, taking measures to ensure that pupils in Catalonia leave school fully competent in Catalan, Castilian and English. We are determined that Catalonia remains competitive in the 21st century, but without losing its important cultural heritage.