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WORLD NEWS Monday 7 SepteMber 2020
Johnson says U.K. will quit Brexit talks if no deal by Oct 15

By JILL LAWLESS of the legally binding di-
Associated Press vorce agreement made
LONDON (AP) — British between Britain and the
Prime Minister Boris Johnson bloc last year.
talked tough on Sunday British Brexit supporters hate
ahead of a crucial round of the agreement because it
post-Brexit trade talks with means keeping Northern
the European Union, say- Ireland aligned to some EU
ing Britain could walk away rules and regulations. But
from the talks within weeks any move to undermine it
and insisting that a no-deal would infuriate the EU and
exit would be a "good out- threaten the trade talks.
come for the U.K." "This would be a very unwise
With talks deadlocked, way to proceed," tweeted
Johnson said an agree- Irish Foreign Minister Simon
ment would only be pos- Coveney.
sible if EU negotiators are The British government said
prepared to "rethink their it was working "in good
current positions." faith" to implement the
The EU, in turn, accuses Brit- agreed border provisions
ain of failing to negotiate but was "considering fall-
seriously. back options in the event
Britain left the now 27-na- this is not achieved."
tion EU on Jan. 31, three- In this file photo dated Monday, May 18, 2020, traffic moves along the M6 motorway near The EU says a deal has to
and-a-half years after the Birmingham, England. Trade Associated Press be struck before November
country narrowly voted to to allow time for parliamen-
end more than four de- — the U.K. government's EU is determined to ensure own laws." tary approval and legal
cades of membership. That preferred description of a a "level playing field" for "We are not going to ac- vetting before the transition
political departure will be no-deal Brexit. competition so British firms cept level playing field pro- period expires.
followed by an economic British chief negotiator Da- can't undercut the bloc's visions that lock us in to the Johnson gave an even
break when an 11-month vid Frost and his EU counter- environmental or work- way the EU do things," he shorter deadline in remarks
transition period ends on part Michel Barnier are due place standards or pump said. he's due to deliver on Mon-
Dec. 31 and the U.K. leaves to meet in London starting public money into U.K. in- In another sign of potential day, saying an agreement
the EU's single market and Tuesday for their eighth dustries. trouble ahead, the Finan- needed to be sealed by an
customs union. round of negotiations. Britain accuses the bloc of cial Times reported that EU summit scheduled for
Without a deal, the New Barnier said last week he making demands that it Johnson's government was Oct. 15.
Year will bring tariffs and was "worried and disap- has not imposed on other planning domestic legisla- "If we can't agree by then,
other economic barriers pointed" by the lack of countries it has free trade tion that would water down then I do not see that there
between the U.K. and the progress and said the U.K. deals with, such as Cana- commitments to maintain- will be a free trade agree-
bloc, its biggest trading had not "engaged con- da. ing an open border be- ment between us, and we
partner. Johnson said the structively." Frost told the Mail on Sun- tween the U.K.'s Northern should both accept that
country would "prosper The key sticking points are day newspaper that Britain Ireland and EU member and move on," he said in
mightily" even if Britain had European boats' access was "not going to compro- Ireland that it has already the comments, which were
"a trading arrangement to U.K. fishing waters and mise on the fundamentals signed up to. The border released in advance by his
with the EU like Australia's" state aid to industries. The of having control over our guarantee was a key part office.q

Rare spat between Serbia and Russia after U.S.-brokered deal

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A legged in a chair. the Serbian president's of-
social media post by Rus- Zakkharova mocked Vucic fice said. Vucic said while
sia's Foreign Ministry spokes- in a comment on the Face- he was in Washington he
woman apparently ridicul- book post, saying he was defended Serbia's close
ing Serbia's president after invited to the White House ties with Russia, including
he signed a U.S.-sponsored to be interrogated. an arms purchase, and his
agreement between Ser- Vucic and other Serbian of- refusal to impose Western
bia and Kosovo has trig- ficials reacted furiously. sanctions against Moscow
gered a rare spat between "The primitivism and vul- over its policies in Ukraine.
traditional allies Moscow garity she showed speaks Marko Djuric, an official
and Belgrade.Spokeswom- about herself, but also with Vucic's ruling party,
an Maria Zakharova posted about those who have giv- defended him on Twitter.
a photo showing Serbian en her the job," Vucic told Although formally seeking
President Aleksandar Vucic the pro-government Pink membership in the Europe-
sitting across from U.S. Presi- TV. Later Sunday, Zakha- an Union, Serbia under Vu-
dent Donald Trump at his rova apologized on Twit- cic has been forging close President Donald Trump participates in a signing ceremony with
Oval Office in Washington. ter, saying her post had political, economic and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, left, and Kosovar Prime
She posted that along with been misinterpreted. Her military ties with Russia and Minister Avdullah Hoti, in the Oval Office of the White House,
another photo, the iconic boss, Russian Foreign Min- China. Trump announced Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington.
scene from thriller "Basic ister Sergey Lavrov, spoke Friday that former wartime Associated Press
Instinct" showing Sharon Sunday with Vucic, stress- foes Serbia and Kosovo of U.S.-brokered talks that salem, and mutual recog-
Stone being questioned ing the "sincerely close ties" have agreed to normal- include Belgrade moving nition between Israel and
by police as she sits cross- between the two states, ize economic ties as part its Israeli embassy to Jeru- Kosovo. q