British PM Theresa May meets Merkel for Brexit talks

BERLIN: The UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to discuss a way out of the current Brexit deadlock.

Their meeting comes ahead of an emergency EU summit that will decide if the UK’s departure from the bloc is extended or not, as May has requested. The British leader has asked for Brexit to be delayed to 30 June.

The EU has said that its primary goal is to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the integrity of the single market. Speaking in Dublin alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, the EU’s Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier recently said that “our goal is to protect the Good Friday Agreement, peace on this island and the integrity of the single market”.

While he admitted it would not be an easy task, Barnier added that “We are confident that we will find operational solutions. One thing is certain whatever happens the EU will stand fully behind Ireland. You will have our full support,” he said, adding that “the backstop is currently the only solution we’ve found to maintain the status quo on the island of Ireland.”

The backstop refers to a temporary arrangement to ensure that there is no hard border occur between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit until and unless a better alternative is found.

“If the UK will have to leave the EU without a deal, let me (be) very clear, we will not discuss anything with the UK until there is an agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland as well as for citizens’ rights and the financial settlement,” he warned, adding that the EU 27 member states will remain fully united as they have been from the very beginning of the Brexit negotiations.

Barnier also stated that the EU hoped for a positive outcome to cross-party talks in the UK.

“As you all know, there are intensive cross-party discussions ongoing in London .... We all hope these talks will produce a positive outcome,” said Barnier. He said that “the Political Declaration provides for a range of outcomes including a customs union. We are ready to make this clearer if it helps and its work can be done extremely quickly”. The Political Declaration is a legally non-binding document on the future relationship between the EU and Britain after Britain exits from the EU.