Irish border problem ends Brexit diplomacy

BRUSSELS / LONDON (Reuters) – The lingering border issue between Ireland and Britain has failed the marathon talks to seal a deal on Brexit Sunday in time for a summit of the European Union this week.

Britain and the EU have called for a pause in Brexit negotiations until the leaders of the EU member states meet in Brussels, four European sources told Reuters, highlighting the fact that the EU is holding talks in Brussels. hoping that a large number of discussions could lead to a prior agreement.

Leaders of the 27 remaining EU countries can not agree at a dinner on Wednesday before British Prime Minister Theresa May joins them at an ordinary summit on Thursday.

Less than six months before Britain's departure, Britain's Brexit Minister Dominic Raab met Sunday with EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

But a "backstop" to prevent a return to border controls between the British province of Northern Ireland and Ireland, a member of the EU, once again stood in the way.

"Despite intense efforts, some key issues remain unresolved, including support for IE / NI to avoid a hard border," Barnier tweeted after his talks with Raab.

Both parties want to avoid resuming controls over what will become the only land border between the UK and the European Union, so as to avoid impeding trade on the island of в île <в île < Ireland and waking tensions two decades after the signing of a peace agreement ending years of violence in Northern Ireland.

However, the EU insists that Britain give assurances that if future negotiations do not allow for a trade agreement between the EU and the UK to avoid a hard border, Northern Ireland should remain in the economic rules of the EU. May and her Belfast allies reject that.

"Despite constructive and intensive negotiations, several key issues remain unresolved," said a senior EU diplomat. "No further negotiations are planned before the European Council. The EU negotiator will inform leaders who will evaluate the progress made so far. "

FUNDAMENTAL DECISIONS

The most important change in Britain's foreign and trade policy for decades has also divided the Conservative Party of the Prime Minister. Critics, such as Raab's predecessor, urge May to change her strategy.

David Davis, who resigned as Brexit Minister in July, accused the government earlier Sunday of accepting "European language on the issue of the Northern Irish border."

"This is one of the most fundamental decisions the government has made in modern times. It's time for the cabinet members to exercise their collective authority, "wrote Davis, who campaigned for Britain to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

"This week, the authority of our constitution is at stake," he said in a Sunday Times article.

Davis also asked May to abandon his proposal regarding Brexit, which involves staying in a free trade zone with the EU for manufactured and agricultural goods. The block "rejected him. The public does not like that. Parliament will not vote for that, "he wrote.

PRESSURE

Up to now, May has shown little appetite for changing tactics, trying to convince conservative lawmakers and opposition Labor to vote for any agreement based on her plan.

But May's lobbying of all parties has increased in recent weeks as London and Brussels move closer to an agreement on a draft treaty of withdrawal covering the terms of the divorce, a transitional period and a solution for the future. 39, Northern Ireland.

Preventing the return of a "hard" border to Ireland has become one of the major hurdles, with Brexit activists fearing that a backstop without an expiration date will keep Britain indefinitely in a customs union with the EU.

May insists that any customs arrangement that is part of the backstop must be temporary, but the EU has refused to set an end date.

Even if May reaches a withdrawal agreement, she will have a hard time getting it passed by parliament and could meet the opposition of the small party of Northern Ireland, which here supports the minority government with other legislation. such as the budget.

"I fully understand the risks of a" not agree "but the dangers of a bad deal are greater," wrote Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, in the newspaper Belfast Telegraph.

"This security arrangement would not be temporary. It would be the permanent annexation of Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom and would always leave us subject to established rules in a place where we have nothing to say. "