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News> World> Content
Monday, October 15, 2018, 17:55
EU, UK see Brexit deal soon but not at this week's summit
By Associated Press
Monday, October 15, 2018, 17:55 By Associated Press

From left, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Czech Republic Deputy Foreign Minister Lukas Kaucky, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, Romanian State Secretary Danut Neculaescu, Slovakian Europe Minister Frantisek Ruzicka and Slovenian State Secretary Simona Leskovar pose for a photo in Sevenoaks, England, Oct 14, 2018. Hunt hosted eastern European Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Secretary's official country residence. (JACK TAYLOR/POOL PHOTO VIA AP) (AP)

LUXEMBOURG — European Union and British foreign ministers expressed cautious optimism Monday that a deal on Britain's departure from the bloc will be found soon but virtually ruled out any Brexit agreement at a crunch summit this week.

Talks between the two sides on Sunday failed to bridge important gaps, notably on how to keep goods flowing freely between EU member state Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is in the UK, after Britain officially leaves.

Everyone is trying incredibly hard. I think it is possible to do it and I think with goodwill on both sides we can get there

Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, Britain

Britain officially exits the EU on March 29, but a deal must be clinched in coming weeks to allow time for the EU and UK parliaments to ratify it. No new meetings between ambassadors are scheduled before EU presidents and prime ministers meet in Brussels on Wednesday.

"There are one or two very difficult outstanding issues, but I think we can get there," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Luxembourg where EU foreign ministers are meeting. "Whether we do this week or not, who knows?"

"Everyone is trying incredibly hard. I think it is possible to do it and I think with goodwill on both sides we can get there," he said.

READ MORE: Irish border riddle confounds EU, UK as Brexit end nears

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said "it seems that this week it will not be possible, but this week is not the end."

British Prime Minister Theresa May attends a roundtable meeting with business leaders whose companies are inaugural signatories of the Race at Work Charter at the Southbank Centre in London, Oct 11, 2018. (HENRY NICHOLLS/POOL VIA AP) (HENRY NICHOLLS)

"We will keep negotiating," Borrell said. "It is difficult for me to believe that we will not be able to reach an agreement."

He said that he foresees no problems between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar.

ALSO READ: Priority to skilled workers in post-Brexit system, says May

"It's not a rock in the way," Borrell said, referring to the nickname of the territory bordering Spain. He added that the Irish border problem is "more difficult to solve than Gibraltar."

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said: "There is no reason to panic. There is still time."

In this Oct 10, 2018 photo, a sign in a parking lot of a cemetery reads: "No EU border in Ireland" near Carrickcarnan, Ireland, just next to the Jonesborough Parish church in Northern Ireland. (LORNE COOK / AP)

British Prime Minister Theresa May is under intense pressure from her Conservative Party and its parliamentary allies not to give any more ground in negotiations, especially on the border issue.

The lack of a breakthrough on the border increased the chances that the Brexit negotiations will fail to produce an agreement spelling out how the EU will interact with its former member and vice versa. EU officials had warned that real progress was needed at this week's summit.

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