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A8 WOLRD NEWS
Wednesday 3 May 2017
May vows to be ‘bloody difficult’ as EU slams UK Brexit aims

JILL LAWLESS port as “Brussels gossip.”
Associated Press May told the BBC on Tues-
LONDON (AP) — Britain day that she was well pre-
and the European Union pared to stand up to hard
say they want an amica- bargaining from Brussels.
ble divorce. But negotia- “During the Conservative
tions have not even start- Party leadership cam-
ed yet, and the sniping has paign I was described by
already begun. one of my colleagues as a
Prime Minister Theresa May ‘bloody difficult woman,’”
vowed Tuesday to be a she said.
“bloody difficult woman” “And I said at the time, the
in talks with the bloc, af- next person to find that out
ter EU officials accused will be Jean-Claude Junck-
the U.K. of failing to grasp er.”
the complexity of the task Asked whether Juncker
ahead. had found it out yet, May
European Parliament Brex- changed the subject.
it coordinator Guy Ver- The German report drew
hofstadt, a master of the a furious flurry of reaction
pointed political tweet, from both sides of Brit-
posted: “Any Brexit deal ain’s EU divide.
requires a strong & stable “May’s outrage at EU’s dirty
understanding of the com- Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May at the Hungerford Community Centre and Social Club during tricks,” said the Euroskeptic
plex issues involved. The an election campaign event in Bristol, England, Tuesday, May 2, 2017. May vowed Tuesday to be tabloid Daily Express. “Brus-
a “bloody difficult woman” in talks with the bloc, after EU officials accused the U.K. of failing to
clock is ticking — it’s time grasp the complexity of the task ahead. sels twists knife on Brexit,”
to get real.” (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) was the front-page head-
Verhofstadt chose his from London and Brussels for a working dinner, greet- Germany’s Frankfurter line on London’s more pro-
words carefully: “Strong about partnership and ing him with a kiss at the Allgemeine Sonntagszei- EU Evening Standard.
and stable” is May’s cam- friendship have given way door of 10 Downing St. tung newspaper. Whether the leak is accu-
paign slogan as she seeks to a steady drip of leaks, May’s office said afterward Its report on the meeting, rate or exaggerated, it’s
to win a bigger parliamen- spin and barbed com- that the meeting had been credited to anonymous a sign the EU wants to let
tary majority in Britain’s ments — evidence that the constructive. Commission sources, quot- Britain know who is in the
June 8 election. two sides’ expectations Juncker called it “excel- ed Juncker as saying he Brexit driving seat.
Formal Brexit negotiations are poles apart. lent,” though he noted: “I left the dinner “10 times “What makes the leak so
won’t start until after the Last week, May met Eu- have the impression some- more skeptical than I was powerful is that it confirms
U.K. election next month. ropean Commission Presi- times that our British friends before” that negotiations what a lot of people have
But already warm words been thinking,” said Fredrik
dent Jean-Claude Juncker ... underestimate the tech- will succeed.
nical difficulties we have to Downing St. said it “does Erixon, director of Brussels-
face.” not recognize” the paper’s based think tank the Euro-
A far less diplomatic ac- description of the meeting, pean Centre for Political
count was published by and May dismissed the re- Economy. q

Putin, Merkel spar over election meddling

LYNN BERRY cratic email accounts, with though a man in his 20s was
DAVID RISING the aim of benefiting Don- charged with sexual abuse
Associated Press ald Trump’s campaign and of a minor because she
MOSCOW (AP) — During harming his Democratic was below the age of con-
a tense appearance with opponent, Hillary Clinton. sent. Merkel said Germany
German Chancellor An- Merkel said she was con- would take “decisive mea-
gela Merkel, Russian Presi- fident that Germany can sures” if it believed there
dent Vladimir Putin denied weather any disinforma- was foreign meddling in
on Tuesday that Moscow tion campaign target- the election, adding it was
ever interferes in elections ing Germany’s upcoming well-known that “hybrid
in other countries. election. Asked about the warfare plays a role in Rus-
Speaking during a joint threat during the news sia’s military doctrine.”
news conference follow- conference, she cited two Merkel’s visit to Sochi was
ing talks at his Black Sea recent incidents of what her first trip to Russia in two
residence, Putin said accu- she described as “gross years, as relations between
sations of meddling in the misinformation.” In one in- the two countries remain
2016 U.S. presidential elec- stance, Russian state me- strained in large part over
tion were “simply rumors” dia and the foreign minister the unresolved conflict in
that were being used as claimed that a 13-year- eastern Ukraine. Merkel has
part of the political fight in old girl of Russian origin been a staunch supporter
Washington. He also de- had been kidnapped and of the sanctions imposed
nied interfering in Europe- raped by asylum-seekers by the European Union on
an elections. in Berlin, and that German Russia over its annexation
U.S. intelligence agencies authorities were covering of Crimea and support for
say they have definitive ev- up the case. Police later the rebels fighting gov-
idence that Russia was be- determined the girl had ernment troops in eastern
hind the hacking of Demo- made up the kidnapping, Ukraine.q