Spain will relaunch talks with Catalan separatist govt in September

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez meets Catalonia's regional government chief Pere Aragones at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

BARCELONA (Reuters) -Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met Catalonia's new pro-independence regional head on Tuesday for the first time as the central government sought to improve ties after pardoning nine jailed separatist leaders.

The two agreed that negotiations between both governments on the region's political conflict would resume in September in Barcelona while acknowledging the significant differences that still remain between them.