On Wednesday, in her first foreign trip as UK Prime Minister, Theresa May met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss Britain’s actions following the country’s decision to leave the EU.
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In reaction to the pressure from Hollande, a spokeswoman for May said her government needed the time to prepare the negotiations.
The key sticking points in the Brexit negotiations are likely to be the freedom of European Union citizens to live and work throughout the bloc and Britain’s access to the EU’s single market. “I hope that we can all make the most of the next six months to prepare for these discussions in a constructive way”, May said.
Paris: French President Francois Hollande told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Paris on Thursday that his country is committed to leading worldwide efforts to help secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians. France’s president has said UK Brexit talks should begin soon and that being in the single market meant accepting freedom of movement, reports BBC.
She again said: “I expect to be able to do so, and the only situation in which that wouldnt be possible is if British citizens rights in European member states were not being protected”.
But Hollande reaffirmed his support for France’s Le Touquet border agreement with Britain, under which the United Kingdom operates immigration checkpoints in Calais and Dunkirk, while France has a checkpoint at Dover.
Ms May indicated that she will not seek to start formal negotiations until next year.
Despite murmurings from European leaders that Brexit must happen as soon as possible, May repeated that she would not invoke Article 50 before the end of this year.
Mr Hollande, who has previously said that withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty “cannot be delayed or cancelled”, said: “Should the negotiations be shorter?”
Hollande and Kenny also said in a joint statement that there should be “a balance of rights and obligations, including in respect of the four freedoms”, referring to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people in the EU.
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“I do recognise there is a special situation here for Ireland”, he added in a Press conference.
