The US State Department said yesterday that the referendum on independence called by the Catalan Government for 1st October is "an internal matter" for Spain. However, the department's spokesperson, Heather Nauert, said that the USA "wouldn't want to interfere" and "will work with whatever government or entity comes out of it".
In a press conference with international media, the spokesperson said that "we see [the referendum] as an internal government matter" so "we'll let the government there and the people work it out and we will work with whatever government or entity comes out of it".
This is what @statedeptspox Heather Nauert has to say about the October 1st. #Catalan referendum pic.twitter.com/0oRtXWFz6y
— Catalan Gov. It|He|She USES (@delgovusa) 13 of septiembre of 2017
Nauert did, however, comment that she's not personally familiar with the subject, although it's unclear as to whether she meant the actions of the judiciary and the police in Spain in recent weeks the journalist asked her about, or the broader context of the referendum.
Nauert's comments come days before the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is to meet with the US president, Donald Trump, in the White House on 26th September during his official visit to the USA. The spokesperson, however, avoided specifying whether the two leaders would discuss the referendum issue in their meeting.
Nor was she willing to comment on whether Trump would reiterate the position expressed by former president Barack Obama in 2015, in a meeting in Washington with Spanish king Felipe VI, in which he said that the USA is "deeply committed to maintaining [its] relationship with a strong and united Spain".