Boris Johnson reiterated his threat to suspend the Northern Ireland agreement and Brexit

[ad_1]

Boris Johnson once again threatened a unilateral suspension Northern Ireland The agreement, because the war of words with EU leaders over Brexit may cast a shadow over the G7 summit in Cornwall.

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, Told the British Prime Minister on Saturday morning that the British government must honor its commitment to Brexit, or it may endanger the country’s relations with France.

After Macron and other EU leaders used the meetings between the summit to urge him to compromise, Johnson gave a speech to Sky News. Johnson shot back that the EU was creating “various obstacles” instead of “wisely” applying the agreement.

“I think we can solve this problem, but our EU friends and partners must understand that we will do whatever it takes,” he said. “If the protocol continues to be applied in this way, then we will obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16, as I said before.”

He also said that some EU leaders he had spoken to “seem to have indeed misunderstood that the UK is a country and a territory. I just need to make them remember this.”

Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel used bilateral talks with Johnson to emphasize the need for full implementation of the agreement.

The Elysée Palace stated that the French president emphasized the common values ​​between the two countries and the prospect of a “reset” in the relationship between the two countries.

But it added that Macron “strongly emphasized that this re-engagement requires the British to abide by their commitments to Europeans and the framework defined by the Brexit agreement.”

Britain had hoped to keep Brexit Outside of Cabis Bay’s agenda, there are other pressing issues that will be discussed, including the climate crisis. However, the negotiations on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Agreement did not reach an agreement earlier this week, and the deadlock may cast a shadow over the summit.

Downing Street stated that the protocol was also proposed in a separate meeting with Merkel and the two EU presidents-Ursula von der Lein of the European Commission and Charles Michel of the European Council, implying the EU side. Will work together to solve this problem.

An EU official said that Von der Lein and Michel’s consensus on the EU on this issue left a deep impression on the Prime Minister and urged him to play down his rhetoric on this issue.

The Prime Minister’s spokesperson disputed the Elysee Palace’s statement about the meeting with Macron. “This is not my description of their meeting,” he said. “The Prime Minister and President Macron both agreed on the need to deepen the bilateral relations between Britain and the United Kingdom. France. “

He claimed that Macron had not established a closer relationship that relied on resolving the deadlock in the agreement.

Johnson’s spokesperson said he had turned to tell EU leaders that he was looking for an “urgent and innovative solution” to the agreement’s issues.

When asked whether the United Kingdom is committed to implementing the Northern Ireland Agreement, the spokesperson said: “The prime minister’s focus is to work within the scope of the agreement; this is our current approach.”

The official reading of the No. 10 meeting with Merkel stated that Johnson “emphasized Britain’s position on the Northern Ireland Protocol and the need to safeguard Britain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab used harsher language in public on Saturday, urging the EU to be “pragmatic” rather than “bloody” in applying the agreement.

Raab told the BBC Radio 4 Today program: “They can implement the Northern Ireland Agreement in a more pragmatic way in a win-win manner, or they can take a bloody and pure attitude towards it. In this case, I am worried that we will not let the UK be complete. Sex is threatened.”

EU sources said that Von der Lein and Michel had publicly stated their position on the agreement before flying to Cornwall and were eager to hear Johnson’s views.

The two met with Johnson at 9:20 in the morning. Von der Lein said at a press conference earlier this week that the Northern Ireland agreement “must be implemented”-while Macron warned that “there is nothing to negotiate” in the agreement.

Both sides insisted that it was the other’s turn to compromise in the fierce quarrel. The UK claimed to have put forward more than 10 proposals, but received no response from the European Union.

The United Kingdom threatened to unilaterally extend the grace period for certain inspections of goods entering Northern Ireland, which will begin on June 30.

This may result in the EU imposing an effective ban on frozen meat products such as sausages shipped from the UK to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s compliance with EU agri-food rules is part of a delicate compromise to prevent hard borders on the island of Ireland. However, the European Union stated that the UK has not fulfilled its promise to inspect goods entering Northern Ireland.

The combative tone of David Frost, the cabinet minister responsible for negotiating with the European Union, also angered them.

Earlier this week, Lord Frost was unexpectedly added to the guest list at the Cornwall summit because it was clear that Brexit would be inevitable.

US President Joe Biden was also in trouble this week, as US diplomats warned that Britain’s Frost’s actions could exacerbate tensions in Northern Ireland.

Johnson insisted that the two did not disagree on this issue when they met on Thursday, but both sides reiterated the importance of upholding the Good Friday agreement.

[ad_2]

Source link