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1/ Irish deputy PM Simon Coveney, speaking in Paris: 'As the EU Council has consistently made clear the Withdrawal Agreement, including the now famous backstop, cannot simply be renegotiated. Even if we wanted to do that, which we don't, we can't do it in six or ten weeks.'
2/ Coveney continues: 'PM Johnson's proposal to simply abolish the backstop in the absence of agreed Alternative Arrangements that we can believe will work is something that we cannot and will not support.
3/ Coveney says: 'Nobody has yet come up with credible arrangements or technical solutions for that matter which could replace those temporary arrangements in the Withdrawal Agreement and the backstop.'
4/ Coveney adds: 'We're committed to exploring Alternative Arrangements in the future or now if and when they exist. We want to find a solution that can provide the stability everybody is looking for. That is catered for in the Withdrawal Agreement in terms of review mechanisms.'
5/ Coveney continues: 'But these alternative proposals have got to do the same job as the backstop to fulfil the commitments made to the people of Northern Ireland. Ultimately the truth is that the answers lie with Westminster as they have done since Britain voted to leave.'
6/ Coveney: 'A No Deal...will be the choice of the UK Government and the British parliament collectively if they choose to allow it or indeed to deliberately trigger it. No amount political grandstanding or attempts to shift the blame can change this fact.'
7/ Coveney says under No Deal a hard border will be avoided 'as best we can'. He says: 'Any such No Deal arrangements will clearly be suboptimal to the backstop in terms of fully mitigating the risks posed by Brexit to the border and to the broader peace process in Ireland.'
