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BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union appeared to be in the process of reaching an agreement with Spain on Saturday to dispel Madrid's concerns over the future of Gibraltar in the draft Brexit agreement, a major hurdle in view of Sunday EU summit.
EU spokesman, Preben Aamann, said on Twitter that after a phone conversation between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and EU Council President Donald Tusk, "we are closer "to an agreement before the Brussels summit, when EU leaders are expected to sign a divorce agreement between Britain and the EU.
The tiny territory of Gibraltar, ceded to Great Britain in 1713 but still claimed by Spain, was the only dispute that remained unresolved before the summit and had turned into a stumbling block. obstinate.
On Friday, Spain declared that it would not support the divorce agreement without an absolute guarantee as to its influence on the future of Gibraltar.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is traveling to Brussels, hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with a firm agreement on the conditions for withdrawing Britain's departure from the EU on March 29, as well as a text Comprehensive negotiation on the future of relations once the two parties are in agreement on a trade agreement.
May was due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council President Donald Tusk on Saturday night.
It may be much easier for May these days to warmly welcome the warm greetings of her 27 fellow leaders rather than receiving such treatment from her Conservative Party colleagues once she returns.
With the 585-page deal agreement negotiated between negotiators and a vague statement on future relations ready to be approved on Sunday, Spain's belated claims to Gibraltar occupy a central place.
The Portuguese Foreign Minister said Saturday that he supported the agreement on Brexit, including Spain's request to rule on the future of the disputed British territory of Gibraltar.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, said that the first Brexit guidelines, set out last year and providing in particular to guarantee to Spain that she could deal directly with London on the question of Gibraltar, were "wise".
France also referred to the strong wording of last year's guidelines as the basis for a compromise.
At home in the UK, May's plans for Brexit continued to be a problem.
The Vice President of the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland used a speech from the party's conference to try to persuade her to change course on Saturday
Nigel Dodds told the conference in Belfast that his draft agreement on Brexit with the EU would leave the UK in a "pitiful and pathetic place".
The small DUP plays a disproportionate role because its support has been crucial to May's fragile government, which does not have a majority in Parliament.
The party threatens to end its support for the plan of Brexit favored by May. This would jeopardize May's already difficult challenge of gaining Parliament's support for her proposal.
