Irish Prime Minister Says 'many Issues' Unresolved In Brexit Talks

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday said he remained hopeful Britain would secure a deal to leave the EU, but sticking points remained as the deadline for a deal loomed

Dublin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Oct, 2019 ) :Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday said he remained hopeful Britain would secure a deal to leave the EU, but sticking points remained as the deadline for a deal loomed.

"I am convinced that all parties are serious about getting an agreement by the end of this month," he said after a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"There is a pathway to a possible deal but there are many issues that still need to be resolved." In London, a spokesman for Johnson said there had been progress in late-night talks in Brussels, which resumed Wednesday morning, "but there is more work still to do".

Britain is hoping to leave the European Union on October 31 but is still discussing its exit terms with the bloc, and is running out of time.

If EU leaders do not approve a deal at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, Johnson is required by British law to ask to delay Brexit -- something he has repeatedly vowed not to do.

The key stumbling block has long been how to manage the border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit.

Both sides are keen to avoid the reintroduction of border infrastructure, which could risk reigniting violence between pro-Irish republicans and UK-supporting unionists after more than 20 years of peace.

But London wants the entire UK -- including Northern Ireland -- to leave the EU's customs union, suggesting there must be customs checks somewhere on goods crossing between north and south.

Any deal agreed with the EU must pass the House of Commons, where Johnson's Conservatives do not have a majority.

The premier was due to meet with his Northern Irish allies, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), for the third time in three days on Wednesday.

Brexit minister Steve Barclay meanwhile confirmed the government would abide by a law requiring it to request a Brexit delay if no deal is reached by Saturday.

"The government will comply with the law," he told a committee of MPs, while adding that "it is important that we leave on October 31".

If a deal is agreed in Brussels, EU leaders would still need time to digest the contents of what will be an extremely complex legal text.

MPs in London would then have to sign off on the plan in a special sitting on Saturday, to avoid triggering a delay.

While some experts think there is support for a deal, few are optimistic it can be done in the next three days.

"Getting an agreement through on Saturday is very, very difficult," said Meg Russell, a constitutional expert at University College London.

"We're looking at an extension, come what may."