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Reuters
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said key issues remained after "intense" Brexit talks.
He met with Dominic Raab from the UK for more than an hour to discuss outstanding points of contention ahead of the pressing summit of European leaders this week.
Mr Barnier then tweeted that problems, such as how to avoid a hard border with Ireland, were still unresolved.
British government sources have previously downplayed reports that an agreement had been reached.
The meeting comes as domestic political pressure on Theresa May intensifies against the resignation threats of the cabinet.
In a letter to the British Prime Minister, Scottish Secretary David Mundell and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said they would not accept Northern Ireland being treated differently from the rest of the United Kingdom. Kingdom under an agreement on Brexit.
The result is reports that other senior ministers have reviewed their positions this weekend in anticipation of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where ministers could be asked to give their consent to any deal.
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The Raab-Barnier meeting took place in the midst of conflicting signals as to whether the two sides were coming to an agreement on the conditions for the UK's exit in March this year. .
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Diplomats from the remaining 27 EU Member States were summoned for an update of the process at 5:30 pm BST, which provoked feverish speculation on the conclusion of an agreement.
Adam Fleming on the continuation of the talks?
- The EU's goal is to ensure that the withdrawal agreement as a whole is adopted in principle in time for Wednesday's summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
- If the 27 of the EU – as they are called – agree, the drafting of the political declaration on future relations will begin.
- EU leaders are likely to convene another summit in mid-November, during which the withdrawal agreement and the framework for future cooperation could finally be approved.
- The agreement should then be approved by the UK and European parliaments.
Brussels-based BBC journalist Adam Fleming said that although Raab's visit looked dramatic, officials routinely told officials to hand over control to men. policies at key moments like this.
Rather than a "victory round" of Mr. Raab, he said that the UK's statement that "face-to-face talks were necessary to resolve several important issues" should be taken to the letter, and that Northern Ireland remained a "stumbling block".
The question of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which will become the United Kingdom's border with the EU, is one of the last obstacles to the conclusion of A divorce agreement with Brussels.
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The quarrels continue as to the nature of a "backstop" to keep the border open if a wider trade agreement between the UK and the EU can solve it.
The EU version, according to which Northern Ireland would remain aligned with the Brussels rules, was described as unacceptable by Ms May and her Unionist Democratic allies.
And many Conservative MPs are not satisfied with the UK government's proposed solution that the UK would remain temporarily in a customs union until the Irish border issue is resolved, either through technology solutions, either as part of a broader trade agreement.
The Brexiteers fear that this leaves the UK in indefinite limbo, bound by EU rules and limited in trade agreements that it can negotiate with other countries.
In an article in The Sunday Times, former Brexit Secretary David Davis urged ministers to "exercise their collective authority" and to reject these plans at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, who hosted other European foreign ministers at his residence in Chevening, said such calls were "false" when "last-minute" talks were taking place and that Ms. May was fighting for Britain.
"The reason this is wrong is that there is no one who will be able to negotiate the right deal for Britain better than Theresa May." C & # 39; is the time to stand behind Theresa May. "
In their letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Mundell and Mrs Davidson indicated that they would not tolerate a situation in which Northern Ireland would remain in the customs union and the single market, while the rest of the United Kingdom would be outside.
They said that the integrity of the UK "remains the most important problem for us" and can not be compromised by any withdrawal agreement with the EU.
A source close to Mrs. Davidson said the problem was a "red line" for her, while a source close to Mr. Mundell told the BBC: "If you find yourself in disagreement with government policy ", the resignation would be the" logical result ".
In an interview with Andrew Marr of the BBC, Health Secretary Matt Hancock pointed out that there are "different ways" of ensuring that customs commitments are "truly time-bound".
And Scottish Prime Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who wants Scotland to stay in the EU, wondered if Mundell and Davidson had "the intelligence" to resign.
