Leo Varadkar open to the conditional review mechanism of the border guard



[ad_1]

Update 17:19: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Theresa May that he was willing to consider revision clause proposals in any Irish border support project following Britain's departure from the EU.

During a phone call between the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister today, Mr Varadkar said the outcome of a review could not involve a unilateral decision to end the backstop.

A government spokeswoman said the two leaders had insisted on their willingness to avoid a hard border and on the need for a legally functioning security system.

"The (British) Prime Minister has raised the possibility of a backstop review mechanism," added the spokeswoman.

"The Taoiseach has indicated that it is willing to consider the review proposals, provided it is clear that the outcome of such a review could not involve a unilateral decision to terminate the system. of security.

"He recalled previous commitments that the backstop must apply" unless and until "other arrangements are agreed.

"They both expressed the hope that the negotiations could reach a satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible".

A Downing Street spokeswoman described the conversation between Ms. May and Mr. Varadkar as "constructive," adding, "They agreed that the intention was that the backstop was only a temporary arrangement and that the best solution for the Northern Ireland border is found: future relations between the UK and the EU.

"In order to ensure that the reinforcement, if he needed it, was temporary, the prime minister said that there should be a mechanism to end the reinforcement."

The appeal took place after Mr Varadkar had rejected the idea of ​​a backstop limited in time, claiming that the paper on which it is written was not worth it.

According to reports published this weekend, the British Secretary of Brexit, Dominic Raab, has claimed the right to withdraw Britain from the Irish support system proposed by the EU after only three months of criticism from the EU. government.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said their position remains "consistent and clear" that time-limited technical support will never be accepted by Ireland or the EU.

In his speech this morning, Varadkar described the United Kingdom as a "divided kingdom" which, he said, did not facilitate the negotiation process.

"The United Kingdom is in many ways a divided realm, citizens are divided equally on the point of whether they want to leave the European Union or not," he said.

"The Cabinet seems divided, the government seems divided, the Parliament is divided and it is therefore very difficult to reach an agreement.

"I would much rather have a united kingdom, a united country, to be our partner in these negotiations, but we do not do it, so we have to work to the end.

"Fortunately, in Ireland we have a united government, and we also have in Parliament a great deal behind the government on this issue."

He said the government was working hard to try to reach an agreement by the end of the year, but added that he could not accept the agreement. idea of ​​a three month deadline for the security agreement.

"A backstop with a three-month limit or an expiration date of this nature is not worth the paper it is written on and the support that the UK government has signed is a legally backstop that will apply." unless, and until, we do not agree to replace him, "he continued.

"I think it's reasonable for us to expect that a country like the UK and a government like the UK government will honor its commitments."

He spoke while he was attending the inauguration of a newly built 42-unit social housing complex in North Dublin.

The new housing will include 31 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and 11 townhouses. They will be able to welcome 150 people.

This comes with the increase in the number of homeless people living in emergency housing last month, thus compounding the housing crisis.

Mr Varadkar said the new real estate development is an example of the government's attempt to address the housing shortage.

He added: "Of course, for some of our opponents, especially those on the left, this place does not exist because it was not built directly by a local authority, but through a partnership between the Town Hall and Oaklee Housing Trust.

"I think the people who live here will tell you that it exists and that it provides very high quality social housing."

Updated 13:05: The Taoiseach said that a backstop at Brexit limited in time was not worth the paper on which it is written.

A number of British media reports that the Brexit Secretary of the United Kingdom, Dominic Raab, wants security, which would avoid a border too hard, carries a date of expiry.

The backstop was the stumbling block to getting an agreement on Brexit. The insurance policy avoids hard borders if there is no trade agreement between the EU and the UK after Brexit.

A support system on a UK scale would keep Britain as a whole in harmony with the EU until an agreement is reached, which would mean essentially that she would have access to EU trade without being a member in good standing.

Dominic Raab wants this to be limited in time so that British politicians can indicate a date on which the UK will no longer be linked to the EU.

But Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says this is not acceptable to the government.

On Monday, Varadkar described the United Kingdom as a "divided kingdom", which he says has not facilitated the negotiation process.

"The UK is in many ways a divided kingdom, citizens are split 50/50 about whether they want to leave the EU or not," he said. .

"The Cabinet seems divided, the government seems divided, the Parliament is divided and this has made it very difficult to reach an agreement.

"I would much rather have a united kingdom, a united country, to be our partner in these negotiations, but this is not the case, so we must continue.

"Fortunately, in Ireland we have a united government, and we also in Parliament, a great deal behind the government on this issue."

He said the government was working hard to try to reach an agreement by the end of the year, but added that he could not accept the agreement. idea of ​​a three month deadline for the security agreement.

A backstop with a limit of three months or an expiry date of this nature is not worth the paper on which it is written and the backstop to which the British Government has subscribed is a legally operational backstop that will apply to unless agreed to replace it, "he continued.

"I think it's reasonable for us to expect that a country like the UK and a government like the UK government will honor its commitments."

He spoke while he was attending the inauguration of a newly built 42-unit social housing complex in North Dublin.

The new housing will include 31 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and 11 townhouses. They will be able to welcome 150 people.

The Taoiseach Department also confirmed that Varadkar and British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by phone this morning.

Ms May had asked Mr Varadkar to be informed of the Brexit negotiations.

"The Prime Minister has raised the possibility of a mechanism to review the support." Taoiseach said it was willing to consider the re-examination proposals, provided it is clear that the result of Such a review could not involve a unilateral decision to terminate security.

"He recalled previous commitments that the backstop must apply" unless "until" other arrangements are agreed upon ".

Earlier in the day, Sabine Weyand, chief negotiator for Brexit, backed Ireland when she warned that temporary limited support in time at the Irish border would never be acceptable.

Simon Coveney tweeted: "The Irish position remains consistent and clear – that a" backstop limited in time "or a backstop to which the UK could terminate unilaterally would never be accepted by IRE or by the I & # 39; EU.

"These ideas are not at all security solutions + do not respect the previous commitments of the United Kingdom."

Ms. Weyand added a link to the comments on Twitter: "It must be repeated again, it seems."

– Digital Desk & PA

Update 9:10: Ireland or the EU will never agree on the security timeframe

The Tánaiste said that suggestions for a time limit on the safety net aimed at avoiding a hard border after Brexit "would never be accepted by Ireland or the EU".

Simon Coveney responded to reports that Britain's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab wanted the support to last only three months after Britain left.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Raab had privately asked for the right to withdraw Britain from the Irish support system proposed by the EU after only three months.

The safety net has become the main stumbling block in the Brexit negotiations.

The reports published this weekend suggest that the EU is now ready to consider concessions that would keep the whole of the UK in a temporary customs union after the end of a transitional period that was to end on December 31, 2020.

The Tánaiste tweeted that the idea did not take into account the previous commitments of the United Kingdom.

"The Irish position remains consistent and clear: a" backstop limited in time "or a backstop to which the UK could terminate unilaterally would never be accepted by the IRE or the EU.

"These ideas are not support at all – do not respect the UK's previous commitments."

A spokesman for Mr Coveney said: "The UK has made written commitments last December and March for the withdrawal agreement to include a legal guarantee of no return to a rigid border in Ireland. , whatever the circumstances.

"In March, the UK decided that this protection would apply" unless "and until" close relations in the future remove any need for border infrastructure. or related controls and verifications.

"We also hope that support from Northern Ireland will never be required to be, but it will have to be written down in a legal text.

"The UK is committed to respecting this agreement in order to conclude a withdrawal agreement and we hope that an agreement can be reached but we are not there yet."

– Digital Desk and PA

[ad_2]
Source link