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Spain’s new socialist prime minister said Monday he would re-open bilateral discussions with Catalonia to ease tensions between Madrid and the regional government. Pedro Sánchez has taken a much softer stance towards the restless region than his predecessor, and he's looking to use the discussions to set a “precedent” for future relations between the two governments. Following an independence vote last year, after which regional lawmakers declared independence, Madrid imposed direct rule over Catalonia and jailed Catalan government officials.