EU says 'no solution' for now to break Brexit deadlock

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EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday "no solution" has been found so far to break the deadlock over Brexit, a spokesman reported after the latest negotiations in Brussels, AFP reported.

Barnier informed commissioners with the EU's executive arm that "no solution has been identified at this point that is consistent with the withdrawal agreement," spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a press conference.

Margaritis Schinas, chief spokesman of the European Commission, gestures during a news conference at the European Commissions Berlaymont building in Brussels, Belgium, on January 16, 2019. /VCG Photo

"My understanding is that the talks were difficult and that there was a robust exchange of views, however, the talks are ongoing," British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman told reporters Wednesday.

"The EU continues to say that it wants this to be resolved and that it wants the UK to leave with a deal. Parliament has been clear that in order for this to happen we require legally binding changes which mean the UK cannot be trapped in the backstop indefinitely and that is what we will continue to pursue."

'Robust' talks

One of Britain's Brexit negotiators said Wednesday he had held a "robust" discussion with European Union counterparts over how to get a withdrawal deal through parliament in London.

Speaking after talks with Barnier in Brussels on Tuesday, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said he had put forward some "very reasonable proposals".

Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, March 5, 2019. /VCG photo

"Both sides have exchanged robust strong views and we're now facing the real discussions. Talks will be resuming soon," Cox told Sky News television from Brussels.

"These are very sensitive discussions, we're into the meat of the matter now, we've put forward some proposals, very reasonable proposals," he said.

But he said he could not reveal the content of the discussions, saying they were "private and confidential".

Prime Minister Theresa May is desperately seeking to salvage her Brexit deal to allow Britain to leave the bloc in an orderly fashion on March 29.

After MPs roundly rejected the text on January 15, she has been seeking guarantees on how its most controversial arrangement – the so-called Irish border backstop – will be implemented.

The House of Commons will have another chance to vote on the deal next Tuesday. If MPs again reject it, they will vote in the following days on whether to leave with no deal or delay Brexit.

(Top image: Michel Barnier, chief negotiator for the European Union (EU), departs holding the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement after a news conference in Brussels, Belgium, November 14, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP