We will not renegotiate the Brexit backstop, say EU27 members | Policy



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EU27 members expressed their frustration at Theresa May while rejecting a revolutionary renegotiation of the Irish support system and calling for a convincing "Plan B" that could convince Parliament to reach agreement on Brexit.

Peter Altmaier, German Minister of Economy and Angela Merkel's main ally, warned Labor and the Conservatives to abandon their endless talks.

"The sympathy, the patience and the willingness to wait for the United Kingdom's position to be clarified are of utmost importance to avoid the worst", he tweeted. "They should not be misused for political activities. A large majority wants to exclude the hard Brexit – in the interests of the United Kingdom and beyond. "

The Prime Minister is expected to announce Monday afternoon in the House of Commons that she plans to return to Brussels to seek a substantial change from the EU on the Irish backstop in order to convince pro-Brexit MEPs to benefit from his contract.

It was widely seen that May abandoned the multiparty talks aimed at breaking the parliamentary blockage and was more likely to appease the Democratic Unionist Party and the Brexiters of his own party.

Arriving in Brussels for a meeting on Monday, the EU27 Foreign Ministers showed themselves more or less willing to make changes to the withdrawal agreement, but were skeptical about the possibility of a change. offer enough for the month of May to get support from rebel deputies.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that the magnitude of May's defeat of the May Brexit deal – by 230 votes – suggests that she should rethink her strategy to continue in the direction of the current withdrawal agreement and the political declaration on future relations.

"I do not think she can convince the MPs by presenting the same agreement with some adjustments," he said. "She has to bring something substantially different, but of course it will have to be approved by the EU, so we have to wait until this afternoon to see what she says."

Borrell said parliamentary support was essential. "We can not continue to negotiate something, as happened this time, and when everything is negotiated, Parliament rejects it. We must be badured that it has enough political support to ensure that what is negotiated is not rejected at the last moment. "

Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said he hoped that Downing Street could still move towards a permanent customs union, backed by the Labor Party.

Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister, said he had only 70 days left before the UK left the bloc, he was "about to start," Downing Street proposed a new plan that could be pbaded by Parliament.

"We know what London does not want," he said. "We finally need to know what London wants, for which majority in Parliament, so we can sit down with our colleagues and discuss how a … Brexit without agreement can be prevented. Because it seems like everyone wants it and so it must be possible. "

Maas said that "the nerves are raw" about the threat posed by the Brexit to peace on the island of Ireland, after the explosion of a car bomb in front of the Londonderry Police Station Saturday.

He stated that Irish support, which would ensure the maintenance of a hard border by keeping the whole of the United Kingdom in a customs union until a satisfactory agreement is put in place place, is "a subject for which I see little change in the course of negotiations" and speaks ".

"For the German government, this border problem is a particularly sensitive country and we will cooperate closely with our Irish colleagues," he said.

Helen McEntee, Irish Minister for European Affairs, ruled out any bilateral talks with the British government and Irish Deputy Chief Simon Coveney spoke with the bloc's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier.

Miroslav Lajčák, Slovak Foreign Minister, said that his country would not support any renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement.

"I do not think it's feasible, I do not think it's good," he said. "I think the agreement is very good, 27 Member States support it very strongly and I see no reason to open it.

"It's not up to us to decide, it's up to the British to express themselves. A difficult Brexit would be difficult, but we are getting closer and closer. I hope that wisdom will prevail.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said about the withdrawal agreement that there was "no desire to open the Pandora's box".

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