Taoiseach says 97% of issues already agreed
Dialogue should continue as long as there is the possibility of a post-brexit trade deal, Ireland's Taoiseach has said.
Creating a level playing field for commerce and access to fishing waters are the key outstanding matters.
Micheal Martin said 97 per cent of issues have already been agreed between Britain and the EU, as his Government urged everybody to hold their nerve.
He told the BBC'S Andrew Marr Show: "I think it would bean appalling failure of statecraft if we were not in a position to get a deal over the line."
He added: "It is vital that we do not have an acrimonious break-up because that would be very damaging."
EU and British negotiators are to continue talking.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it is "responsible at this point to go the extra mile".
Afterwards, the Irish Government reiterated that it
has always felt a deal can be done.
Foreign Affairs Min ister Simon Coveney said it is "time to hold our nerve and allow the negotiators to inch progress for ward - even at this late stage". "Joint statement on Brexit negotiations is a good signal," he tweeted. "A deal clearly very difficult, but possible."
Europe Minister Thomas Byrne told R TE' sT he Week In Politics that talking is always the best solution. "We felt it needed to get away from a winner and loser scenario," he said. "If there is no deal everyone is a loser. If there is a deal we all win.”