Spain’s Catalan coalition, in talks to form a government under Popular Party leader Jose Maria Aznar, is seeking the total privatization of Telefonica, Endesa and Retevision, a spokesman told Spanish national radio. The Catalan Convergence and Unity coalition is concerned about the expense and rigidity of Spain’s telecommunications services. The Catalans made development of the cable television sector a top priority, proposing to give new operators the right to provide basic telephone service once the European Union liberalizes telecommunications in 1998. To cut costs and give operators equal footing, the Catalans want to interconnect networks and use existing infrastructure for transport of water, gas and electricity for telecommunicationss.
