UK PM Johnson believes he can strike EU deal within weeks

Monday, 16 September 2019 09:32

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is confident of striking a deal with the European Union ahead of the planned October 31 departure.

He said that leaving the EU without a deal was never the outcome he wanted but preparations for a no-deal are "very extensive".

"If we can make enough progress in the next few days, I intend to go to that crucial summit on October 17, and finalise an agreement that will protect the interests of business and citizens on both sides of the (English) Channel, and on both sides of the border in Ireland," Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"I believe passionately that we can do it, and I believe that such an agreement is in the interests not just of the UK but also of our European friends."

Johnson heads to Luxembourg on Monday to meet outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

More from International News

Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader

Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader as the week-old US-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Trump says he is 'nowhere near' deciding to send troops to Iran

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was "nowhere near" deciding whether to send U.S. troops into Iran to secure the stockpile of highly enriched uranium there.
Lebanon parliament extends its own mandate for two years as war intensifies

Lebanon’s parliament extended its own mandate for two years on Monday, a statement from the speaker's office said, pushing back elections that were meant to take place in May of this year.
France to deploy almost dozen warships, mulls Hormuz mission, Macron says

France is deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict in the Middle East.