EU President Donald Tusk on Tuesday urged Catalonia's separatist leader not to take a decision that would make dialogue with Madrid impossible, just hours before a possible declaration of independence.

"Today I ask you to respect in your intentions the constitutional order and not to announce a decision that would make such a dialogue impossible," Tusk said in Brussels, appealing for a negotiated end to a standoff that has sent shockwaves through the bloc.

source: AFP