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France on Friday maintained its firm stance on Britain's revised exit from the European Union after British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a 10-week extension of the April 12 departure.
Amelie de Montchalin, French Minister for European Affairs, said that the government of President Emmanuel Macron had read the May letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk, asking for the day of departure on 30 June .
On March 21st, EU leaders agreed to let Britain go beyond the departure date set out in Article 50 of March 29th.
Montchalin said France was opposed to a second extension unless good reasons emerge from Westminster.
"As Prime Minister [May] Rightly, the current stalemate is in the interests of neither the United Kingdom nor the European Union, "said Montchalin. We can not let him continue.
"Another extension requires the UK to present a plan with clear and credible political support," Montchalin said. "The European Council should then define the necessary conditions attached to this extension.
"In the absence of such a plan, we should recognize that the UK has chosen to leave the EU in a haphazard manner."
Coherence
In her letter requesting a second extension, May told Tusk that she wanted to ensure that her country was leaving the EU neatly after 46 years in the bloc.
On Friday, a source close to Tusk said he wanted to offer Britain a flexible one – year deadline for Brexit. It would be reduced as soon as May had reached an agreement with the British deputies.
However, a French diplomatic source considered the idea as a clumsy test balloon.
Tuesday, Macron revealed his irritation with the delays in the visit to Paris by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
"The EU can not be held hostage in the long run by the resolution of a political crisis in the UK," Mr Macron said.
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