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Johnson welcomes EU Parliament President: "Oh, you should not be sad"

2019-10-09T01:14:20.171Z


The EU and London are blaming each other for the possible failure of the Brexit talks. In London, the President of the European Parliament now tried to convince Boris Johnson in the conscience. Without success.



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After all, they still talk. Just before 6:30 pm British time, David Sassoli arrives from 10, Downing Street and approaches the waiting reporters. Actually, the President of the European Parliament should have said a few words together with Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, but Sassoli is coming alone. The British would not be interested in making a statement at the moment, they told Sassolis people.

Sure is certain on a day when Johnson opens the battle for the question of who is to blame when it comes to a tough Brexit in the end, a departure of the British from the EU without an agreement.

"I came here with the confident expectation of hearing suggestions that could bring the negotiations forward," says Sassoli on Tuesday evening in Italian. "However, I had to note that there was no such progress." Conveniently, Sassoli's people had already distributed the prepared statement in English among the journalists before the meeting was over. Apparently the - low - expectations of the visit were met.

Brexit deal "apparently impossible"

Sassoli came directly from a meeting with Angela Merkel in Berlin. The Chancellor, in turn, had talked to Boris Johnson at 8 am - the phone call marked the beginning of a day full of hectic Brexit diplomacy. Apparently Merkel had made no progress on the British position. In any case, British media, referring to unspecified sources in 10, Downing Street immediately sprinkled, because of Merkel's attitude was a Brexit deal "apparently impossible."

On Wednesday afternoon, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker wants to comment on the situation of the Brexit talks in the European Parliament.

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It's not good, that's clear after Sassoli's visit. When he meets journalists in the London EU office on Tuesday evening, he does not hold back with his disappointment. "We had a very honest conversation," he says. "I felt more like a TV talk show." Sassoli means that positively, it was a tough exchange, with Johnson, without courtesy, without bureaucratic nonsense.

Johnson had obviously initially thought he could sassoli Sassoli with a few cups of tea and kind words. Even a few Italian words tested the British prime minister at the beginning of the conversation with the President of Parliament, participants report afterwards. But Sassoli, a trained journalist, was apparently not lulled.

"Johnson will not ask for extension"

An extension, a postponement of Brexit beyond October 31st, would have to come from the British, Sassoli says. Johnson, however, made it clear that he would not ask the EU for an extension. "The British told us this evening that they would never apply for an extension," says Sassoli after the meeting. "I want to be crystal clear: Prime Minister Johnson said several times tonight, he will not ask for an extension."

Frank Augstein / DPA

Arm in arm went Boris Johnson (left) and David Sassoli at 10, Downing Street

While blame and admonition flying back and forth between London, Brussels and Berlin, holds at least one of the EU's top with the President of the European Parliament, the direct line to Johnson. The European Parliament must finally agree to a possible agreement. If anything moves, it should, at least in principle, come to an agreement before the upcoming EU summit on 17 and 18 October, ideally by the end of the week.

But it does not look like that right now. When he talks about the British's latest ideas, Sassoli, actually a reticent Italian social democrat, is almost angry - and reports unusually openly from the meeting at 10, Downing Street.

The British had recently put forward proposals that Northern Ireland could remain in the single market with the EU for a while, but not in a customs union. As the British want to control whether duties have been paid without it to a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, remains their secret. The EU insists on the backstop, the emergency solution that is designed to prevent a hard line with controls.

Sassoli admonished Johnson several times

"These are not proposals that bring us closer to an agreement," says Sassoli about the ideas of the British. "If someone says he wants out on October 31, then one would expect him to prepare for November 1." He tries a comparison. "Who would ever spend money on a house if he does not get a house in return?" He asks, almost incredulously.

He warned Johnson several times that he had to put something on the table that could be used to start something. Johnson replied that they could handle the tariffs.

He also pointed out to Johnson that he had a great deal of responsibility when it came to Brexit without an agreement. "Oh, you should not be sad," Johnson replied, there was nothing to worry about. "But I'm seriously worried," says Sassoli later, among the journalists.

Henry Nicholls / REUTERS

After the meeting only David Sassoli declared himself, Boris Johnson remained silent

Sure, these days, it's hard to see if it's all about blaming the other side for failure, or whether it's still being negotiated seriously. From the Brexit team in Brussels we can hear that nothing is moving. "If there is a will, then there is a chance for an agreement," says Sassoli. The EU is ready to negotiate until the last second.

Currently it is completely open, how it goes on. Johnson should, according to participants, have certainly indicated that he wants to continue talking. And indeed, it is not that the British would not have been able to accommodate the EU with their last papers at all. But whether the time is enough to get a binding agreement? And even if, it is completely unclear whether Johnson would have a majority in Parliament for an amended withdrawal contract.

Sassoli will be asked what impression he made on his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he had already visited on Monday, and Merkel.

The parliamentary leader makes it scarce: "At Brexit everyone is worried."

Source: spiegel

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