Ireland's foreign minister said Monday that Britain has ruled out seeking to change the Good Friday Agreement, after reports that London may try to do so to unlock the Brexit deadlock.
Speaking after talks with his British counterpart, Simon Coveney welcomed the confirmation that London would not seek to reopen the 1998 deal, which ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
He also shot down a suggestion by the Polish foreign minister that the controversial Brexit withdrawal "backstop" in the Brexit withdrawal deal could have a five-year time limit, saying this does not reflect the overall EU position.
Separately, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier told Irish RTE television that the remaining EU members are united: "We are working as 27 as a team, a single team, we have negotiated as one."
And he reiterated the longstanding insistence from EU leaders that it is now for Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May to come up with an idea she can unite her parliament behind.
Asked about reports that May could seek to amend the Good Friday Agreement, Coveney said he had received confirmation "that that is not something they're looking to pursue".
"The Good Friday Agreement is a hugely important foundation for the peace process and I don't think we should be talking about changing the Good Friday Agreement in an attempt to solve a political problem," Coveney told reporters in Brussels, where he was attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Hunt said that in his meeting with Coveney he had stressed Britain was "fundamentally, totally committed to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement".
Earlier Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz broke ranks with official EU policy to suggest a five-year limit to the Irish border backstop as a way to "unblock negotiations".
The backstop -- a legal guarantee that the frontier with Ireland would remain free-flowing if Britain and the EU cannot agree a long-term free trade pact -- is hugely contentious for Brexit supporters, who see it as a means to trap Britain in the bloc.
- 'No backstop at all' -
Brussels insists it must be part of Britain's withdrawal agreement, and Coveney said he thought his Polish counterpart was trying to be "helpful" but that the EU position had not changed
"Putting a time limit on an insurance mechanism, which is what the backstop is, effectively means that it's not a backstop at all," Coveney said.
"So I don't think that reflects EU thinking in relation to the withdrawal agreement."
May will set out how she hopes to salvage her Brexit deal later on Monday, after it was rejected by MPs. The UK is set to leave the EU on March 29.
Ireland’s foreign minister said Monday that Britain has ruled out seeking to change the Good Friday Agreement, after reports that London may try to do so to unlock the Brexit deadlock.
Speaking after talks with his British counterpart, Simon Coveney welcomed the confirmation that London would not seek to reopen the 1998 deal, which ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
He also shot down a suggestion by the Polish foreign minister that the controversial Brexit withdrawal “backstop” in the Brexit withdrawal deal could have a five-year time limit, saying this does not reflect the overall EU position.
Separately, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier told Irish RTE television that the remaining EU members are united: “We are working as 27 as a team, a single team, we have negotiated as one.”
And he reiterated the longstanding insistence from EU leaders that it is now for Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May to come up with an idea she can unite her parliament behind.
Asked about reports that May could seek to amend the Good Friday Agreement, Coveney said he had received confirmation “that that is not something they’re looking to pursue”.
“The Good Friday Agreement is a hugely important foundation for the peace process and I don’t think we should be talking about changing the Good Friday Agreement in an attempt to solve a political problem,” Coveney told reporters in Brussels, where he was attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Hunt said that in his meeting with Coveney he had stressed Britain was “fundamentally, totally committed to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement”.
Earlier Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz broke ranks with official EU policy to suggest a five-year limit to the Irish border backstop as a way to “unblock negotiations”.
The backstop — a legal guarantee that the frontier with Ireland would remain free-flowing if Britain and the EU cannot agree a long-term free trade pact — is hugely contentious for Brexit supporters, who see it as a means to trap Britain in the bloc.
– ‘No backstop at all’ –
Brussels insists it must be part of Britain’s withdrawal agreement, and Coveney said he thought his Polish counterpart was trying to be “helpful” but that the EU position had not changed
“Putting a time limit on an insurance mechanism, which is what the backstop is, effectively means that it’s not a backstop at all,” Coveney said.
“So I don’t think that reflects EU thinking in relation to the withdrawal agreement.”
May will set out how she hopes to salvage her Brexit deal later on Monday, after it was rejected by MPs. The UK is set to leave the EU on March 29.
