The president of the Catalan region in Spain, Artur Mas, has again expressed his determination to hold an independence referendum in 2013.
Mr Mas, currently leading a pro-independence coalition made up of right and left-wing parties, said that the majority of Catalans want to build a new country".
The president said he wanted "all the citizens to decide freely and peacefully our future as a nation".
"We are now facing transcendental pages in our history,"
"Our duty and responsibility is to leave for future generations a country that they can feel proud of."
The Spanish government has rejected the calls, saying a referendum would have no legal force.