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Leo Varadkar says he will try to get a deal on Brexit when he meets Boris Johnson in New York next week.<\/p>\nLeo Varadkar says he will try to get a deal on Brexit when he meets Boris Johnson in New York next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were in touch today. I\u2019m going to meet him next week in New York and try to get a deal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The leaders will both be attending the UN Climate Action Summit.<\/p>\n
Last week in Dublin, the pair had their first meeting since Mr Johnson became British Prime Minister in July.<\/p>\n
Their discussions were described as positive but the British government has yet to provide what the EU considers credible, alternative proposals to the backstop.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar held a 45-minute meeting with the DUP leader Arlene Foster in Dublin on Wednesday where they discussed Brexit and ongoing efforts to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster indicated for the first time on Tuesday that she may be open to a Brexit solution that would involve special arrangements for the North.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said that while he was optimistic following the meeting, gaps remained.<\/p>\n
Asked about the meeting, he said: \u201cIf I were to assess the situation, I would say there is a real willingness to find a deal. Nobody wants no-deal to happen and very few people want no-deal to happen. I am certainly not one of them. No-one wants to be to blame or to be responsible for no-deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rhetoric has tempered and the mood music is good. There is a lot of energy and a lot of positivity. The difficulty is that when it comes to the substance of the issue that needs to be resolved, the gaps are still very wide and we have no time to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cautioned that some British food products may not be available on Irish shelves if there was a no-deal Brexit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome brands, particularly British brands, may not be available but there will be food on the shelves. People don\u2019t need to be concerned about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two countries that will be worst affected in the event of no-deal are going to be Britain and Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost countries on the continent are barely affected at all so it is in the interests of the United Kingdom to put forward proposals that allow them to leave the EU in an orderly fashion that minimizes damage to their country, economy and ours.\u201d<\/p>\n