Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney not pulling his punches on Brexit. 'The British Government was offered a much longer transition period and they turned it down, yet they're now blaming the EU for it. That's just ridiculous. The decision on the timelines is very much British.'
Coveney: 'I do think a deal is possible but it needs to be finalised this week. We really are running out of time. The consequences of No Deal are so costly and so disruptive. There's a big incentive.' It needs a 'compromise agreement' on fish/LPF 'that both sides can live with'.
Coveney: 'The EU side has been respectful and consistent but also firm. The truth of Brexit is now being exposed in terms of the challenges of it. This is something the UK & EU together have to find a way forward on as opposed to focus on a blame game as regards who's at fault.'
Coveney talks of 'British negotiating trap to try to get everything else agreed then say surely we're not going to allow this whole thing to collapse over fish'. Says: 'We're not playing that game. If there isn't an agreement on this the whole thing could fall on the back of it.'
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