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LONDON – Latest news on Britain's exit from the European Union (local time):
3:25 p.m.
The Spanish State Secretary to the European Union said that the British authorities had accepted Spanish requests granting Madrid prior authorization for Gibraltar matters.
Luis Marco Aguiriano said: "We have a promise, a commitment from the British government, that says they are ready to … guarantee that they will follow the clarifications that we have requested."
Spain has threatened to block an agreement on Brexit unless its demands on Gibraltar are accepted.
Britain says the withdrawal agreement will not be changed, but has not ruled out putting something in writing to appease Spain's fears.
According to the Spanish private press agency Europa Press, Aguiriano told reporters on Friday in Brussels that he could not yet announce that his country was putting an end to his veto because he had not not yet seen the written version of the British promise.
He added that Spain wanted London to make public the written promise. It will then have to be approved by the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Britain says the withdrawal agreement will not be changed, but has not ruled out putting something in writing to appease Spain's fears.
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1:25 p.m.
A spokeswoman for the Spanish government said that Spain would not be content with the veto over any issue concerning Gibraltar during the negotiations on the departure of Britain from the European Union.
Isabel Celaa said on Friday that prior approval on issues concerning Gibraltar was "decisive" for Madrid to approve the Brexit agreement on future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
After a weekly cabinet meeting, she said that Spain required an "absolute guarantee" that any future agreement between the EU and the UK regarding Gibraltar "will require the prior agreement of l & # 39; Spain. "
Spain has never renounced its jurisdiction over the British territory of 32,000 inhabitants located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
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1:15 p.m.
British Prime Minister Theresa May declined to say whether she would resign if her agreement with the EU on Brexit was rejected by Parliament.
The deal sparked fierce criticism from May's Conservative Party legislators and opposition parties, and it faces a struggle for parliamentary approval.
When asked by phone if she would stop working if the deal failed, May replied, "This is not about me."
She said, "I do not think of myself. I am thinking of concluding an agreement that meets the expectations of our country. "
European leaders must meet on Sunday to sign the agreement.
May said that once this happens, she plans to tour Britain to explain the benefits of the deal.
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11:50
A Spanish government official said the conflict over Gibraltar could be resolved by amending a single clause in the divorce agreement between the UK and the European Union.
The Spanish Minister of European Affairs, Luis Marco Aguiriano, said Friday that officials could amend Article 184 to clarify that future relations between the EU and Gibraltar will be negotiated with the UK with the consent prior to Spain. "
In an interview with Spanish radio Onda Cero, he said officials in Brussels were working on options to address Spain's concerns over Gibraltar. He felt that there was a 60% chance of success.
Madrid has never given up its claim of sovereignty over the rocky outcrop located at the far end of the Iberian Peninsula, which was ceded to Britain just over 300 years ago .
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11:45
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman said Germany believed the outstanding issues regarding the Brexit deal would be settled in time for holding a special summit of the 39, European Union Sunday.
Spain warned that it would oppose a declaration on future relations with Britain if it was not guaranteed its say on the future of Gibraltar, even if it did not exercise right of veto on the actual withdrawal agreement.
Steffen Seibert, spokeswoman for Merkel, said: "We assume the outstanding issues can be resolved by Sunday, and we expect the summit to not go as planned." This is the subject of intensive work and the Chancellor is preparing for the trip to Brussels. "
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10:55
The German Finance Minister said that Berlin still hoped for a regulated British exit from the European Union, but that the country was also ready for the eventuality of a Brexit without a negotiated agreement.
Olaf Scholz, who is also vice-chancellor, was quoted Friday by the newspaper Passauer Neue Presse as stating that an unregulated Brexit would be bad for everyone and would touch the worst of the British.
But, he says, "we are preparing very carefully for both variants, controlled Brexit and uncontrolled Brexit. Both present challenges, but we can and will manage them. "
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10:00 am
European Union diplomats meet to finalize draft divorce agreement between Britain and bloc, while Spain warned it would oppose this deal if it was not guaranteed that his opinion on the future of Gibraltar would be guaranteed.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted that Britain and Spain "stayed away" on the issue and that "if there was no change, we would oppose our veto at Brexit ".
Spain wants the future of the tiny British territory at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula to be a bilateral problem between Madrid and London.
Spain does not have a veto on the withdrawal agreement, which must not be approved unanimously. But that could block a future free trade agreement between Britain and the EU, which would require the approval of the 27 EU countries.
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