Catalonia's Puigdemont urges Pedro Sanchez to be open to dialogue

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont poses during an interview with Reuters in his house in Waterloo, Belgium, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Clement Rossignol

WATERLOO, Belgium (Reuters) - Catalonia's former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont on Tuesday urged Pedro Sanchez, the winner of Spain's parliamentary election last month, to be open to dialogue with the independence movement but declined to say if his party would back him in parliament.

The northeast region's bid to break away from Spain was at the heart of the election, which Sanchez's Socialists won but without enough seats to have a majority on their own.