Spain says if Catalan leader wants talks he first needs to respect the law

MADRID (Reuters) - If Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont wants talks or mediation with the central government over the region's future, he first needs to respect the law, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"If Mr Puigdemont wants to talk or negotiate, or wants to send mediators, he know perfectly what he first needs to do: go back to the law," the statement said.

(Reporting by Julien Toyer; Editing by Adrian Croft)