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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 27 september 2017

EU official Tusk: No sufficient progress in Brexit talks

jam, May made a concilia- The EU insists it won’t dis-
tory speech Friday in Flor- cuss future relationships un-
ence, Italy, saying the U.K. til it has guarantees on Brit-
would be willing to pay into ain’s outstanding financial
EU coffers during a two- commitments, on the rights
year transition phase after of more than 4 million EU
it formally leaves the bloc and British citizens affected
in March 2019. by Brexit and on the status
Tusk said Tuesday he felt of the Irish border.
Britain had finally aban- EU leaders are to assess
doned an unrealistic belief at an Oct. 19-20 meeting
that it could leave the EU whether Britain has made
while keeping all the ad- “sufficient progress” on the
vantages of membership. divorce arrangements for
“I feel cautiously optimis- negotiations to move on.
tic about the constructive It’s likely they will decide it’s
and more realistic tone in too soon and will reassess
the prime minister’s speech the decision in December.
in Florence and of our dis- In another sign of Britain’s
cussion today,” Tusk said more conciliatory tone,
after meeting May at 10 U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris
Downing St. Johnson tried to reassure
“There is no sufficient prog- eastern Europeans that
ress yet, but we will work on they will remain welcome.
it,” he added. Brexit will end the auto-
European Council President Donald Tusk meets British Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing
Street in London, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Other EU officials also gave matic right of EU nationals
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein) a cautious welcome to to live and work in the U.K.,
May’s speech, but said and that has left many of
By JILL LAWLESS Prime Minister Theresa May that time is running out. more details are needed. the 3 million EU citizens in
Associated Press in London, Tusk said he be- Britain is keen to start dis- Chief Brexit negotiator Mi- Britain worried for their fu-
LONDON (AP) — Brexit talks lieved Britain had finally cussing future trade and chel Barnier said Monday tures.
haven’t yet made sufficient abandoned its unrealistic security relations with the he was “keen and eager” Johnson told Romania’s
progress to begin negotiat- “having a cake and eating bloc, a move that would to understand how May’s Agerpres news agency
ing a new relationship be- it” approach to Brexit. alleviate some of the un- words would be turned that the estimated 500,000
tween Britain and the Eu- Britain triggered a two-year certainty rattling the British into a negotiating strategy. Romanians currently in
ropean Union, European countdown to leaving the economy. May’s office said the Flor- Britain are “hugely valued
Council President Donald EU in March, but since then But EU officials say those ence speech had been in- members of our society.”
Tusk said Tuesday. But Tusk talks have made little prog- talks can’t happen until tended to create momen- “We would be crazy to let
said he’s now “cautiously ress. Negotiators are meet- there has been “sufficient tum in the talks and “it was them go back to Romania,
optimistic” about the way ing in Brussels this week for a progress” on the terms of important for EU negotia- we want to ensure ... their
ahead. fourth round of discussions, the divorce. tors to now respond in the rights are protected,” said
After meeting with British as EU officials warn Britain In a bid to break the log- same spirit.” Johnson, who is on a visit
to the Czech Republic, Ro-
Catalan police ordered to crack down on disputed ballot mania and Slovakia.
Johnson also seemed to
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s whether the Catalan region tionally-charged standoff. deer the polling stations have changed his tune
government on Tuesday should secede from Spain The Spanish Interior Minis- ahead of the weekend, since July, when he said
ordered Catalonia’s re- is illegal. It is cracking down try in Madrid said the order Spanish news agency Eu- the EU could “go whistle”
gional police force to iden- on organizers by threaten- to note down the personal ropa Press reported.As ten- if it wanted a big exit pay-
tify officials at local schools ing them with prosecution. details of officials was given sions surrounding the vote ment from Britain.
and other civic buildings The order placed further to police by the top state builds, Prime Minister Maria- “We’re putting some mon-
expected to be used as pressure on the Catalan prosecutor in Catalonia. no Rajoy has canceled his ey on the table,” Johnson
polling stations in a contro- police, who were being The prosecutor also in- trip to the Estonian capital said, adding that Britain
versial independence ref- told by central Spanish au- structed the Catalan po- of Tallinn for a European would “continue to honor
erendum.Spanish authori- thorities to act against their lice, known as the Mossos Union summit on Friday, our commitments” to the
ties say the Oct. 1 ballot on fellow Catalans in the emo- d’Esquadra, to comman- Spanish media reported. q EU.q