DUP leaders meet EU's Brexit negotiator in Brussels
668 views · Published 14 October 2018 · 3:06 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(9 Oct 2018) Leaders from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party were in Brussels on Tuesday to meet the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, as an October summit deadline for decision-making fast approaches. DUP leader Arlene Foster told reporters that "a border in the Irish sea or a hard border on the island of Ireland" are not options on the table. "I know that is the way which some people would like to present the choices for their own particular reasons but those are not the choices ahead of us," she said. Foster also said that there cannot be barriers to trade in the UK internal market which would damage the economic well-being of Northern Ireland. She said her party would not support any arrangements which would give rise to either customs or regulatory barriers within the UK internal market. EU and British officials have been meeting behind the scenes before a key summit in Brussels on October 17 and 18. EU leaders say there needs to be major progress at the meeting for there to be a deal before Britain leaves the bloc on March 29. The main obstacle is ensuring there are no customs posts or border checks along the frontier between the UK's Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. Both sides say the border must be kept open, but haven't agreed on how that can be accomplished. The Irish border impasse has heightened fears that the UK could find itself crashing out of the bloc without a deal. The UK government has acknowledged that could leave planes grounded and trucks backed up at British ports. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/51f31e4c346b2f3f1126d123667057d0
