PARIS, Oct 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A deal on Britain’s imminent withdrawal
from the EU appears “within reach but is not guaranteed,” France’s deputy
foreign minister said Thursday ahead of what is considered a make-or-break
summit in Brussels for securing an accord.
“We’re hoping for a deal and if it can come in the coming hours, that
would be perfect,” Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne told Public Senat television.
But he said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would have to secure
parliament’s backing, acknowledging in particular that he would “have to
negotiate with the unionist party” of Northern Ireland, which “isn’t easy.”
Lemoyne’s statement came shortly before the Democratic Unionist Party
(DUP) said it could not support a plan Johnson presented to British lawmakers
on Wednesday.
Uncertainty over the future border arrangement for Ireland and Northern
Ireland has been the main sticking point holding up an accord on the terms of
Brexit, with the DUP insisting there be no separate status between the
province and the rest of the UK.
“We’ve seen before that the [British] government’s position is not
necessarily that of parliament,” Lemoyne said.
He said that if no accord emerges from the Brussels summit on Thursday and
Friday, a new European Council summit could be required before October 31,
when Britain is set to leave the EU, with a deal or without.
“Unfortunately, anything is possible,” he said.