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LONDON (Reuters) – Britain announced on Wednesday that there was no deadline for negotiations on Brexit, following a letter from Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab suggesting that 39, an agreement on the conditions for his departure from the European Union could be finalized by 21 November. .
PHOTO FILE: Dominic Raab, UK Secretary of State for Exit from the European Union, arrives at Downing Street, London, on October 29, 2018, in Great Britain. REUTERS / Henry Nicholls
Raab had stated that an agreement on Brexit was clearly in sight and should be accepted by that date in a week – long letter to a lawmaker published Wednesday, sending a pound sterling briefly to the rise.
However, his department later stated that although November 21 was suggested by the chairman of Parliament's Brexit Committee, this did not mean that a specific date had been set for the conclusion of an agreement.
"There is no set date for the conclusion of negotiations (of the EU)," said a ministry spokesman in a statement after the publication of Raab's letter to the president of the Committee on the exit of the European Union from Parliament.
"November 21 was the date proposed by the chairman of the select committee for (Raab) to testify."
Barely five months out of Britain's exit from the European Union, little is clear: Prime Minister Theresa May has still failed to secure a divorce and the rebels of her conservative party – eurosceptic and pro-European – threatened to vote against any agreement. she does.
Raab, in a letter dated October 24 addressed to Hilary Benn, chairman of the Brexit parliament committee, said that the UK and the EU had resolved most of the disputes, although the question of Northern Ireland remains.
"I would be happy to testify before the Committee when an agreement is finalized and I am currently waiting for November 21 to be agreed," said Raab, in response to a request to appear before legislators.
"The end is now in plain sight and, even if obstacles remain, we can not go beyond them. We have solved most of the problems. "
Asked about Raab's remarks in the letter, a spokeswoman for May repeated that Britain wanted to reach an agreement on Brexit as soon as possible.
The major obstacle to an agreement lies in Britain's desire to keep the border of its province of Northern Ireland open with Ireland, a member state of the European Union – by maintaining a friction free trade and a 1998 peace agreement ending sectarian violence in Ireland – while maintaining its goal of leaving the EU. Single Market and Customs Union to forge its own trade agreements worldwide.
The GBP = D3 sterling rose nearly 1% against the dollar to trade at 1.2831 USD and against the euro at 88.43 pence EURGBP = D3 after Raab's comments, before retiring .
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said that an agreement on the withdrawal of Britain was possible before November 21, but that this would require in particular British negotiators to step up their efforts.
"I think it's possible to get an agreement in November," Coveney said at a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. .
But Coveney said that Britain must honor its past commitments, particularly with regard to an open Irish border and a "protection" clause to anchor it in the law, so that negotiators can reach an agreement.
"If these commitments are not realized, it's hard to see how this will be done in November," he said.
British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said an agreement was "quite possible" before November 21 and that he was encouraged by the progress of Brexit negotiations. He said the outstanding issues could be resolved "if we put our minds there."
Raab stated that four important aspects remained to be solved: a UK-EU joint temporary joint customs territory; possibility of extending a transitional period during which Britain's membership of the European Union would remain unchanged; a measure to ensure that any extension was not indefinite; and the unrestricted access of Northern Ireland companies to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Brexit European negotiators told national envoys in Brussels on Wednesday that the technical talks were still focused on the Irish issue. They will make another update next week and the bloc will also hold seminars from mid-November to prepare for a "no agreement" Brexit, a disruptive outcome that both parties deem undesirable.
Sources in Brussels were still hoping that an agreement could be reached in November, once Britain has adopted its budget.
Reportage of Guy Faulconbridge; Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Richard Lough in Paris and Alistair Smout in London; Edited by Andrew MacAskill and Mark Heinrich
