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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has attacked Fianna F\u00e1il over their concerns on the Brexit negotiations.<\/p>\nTaoiseach Leo Varadkar has attacked Fianna F\u00e1il over their concerns on the Brexit negotiations.<\/p>\n
Attending an EU summit with other leaders, Mr Varadkar said British prime minister Theresa May had reassured him of her commitments to the so-called ‘backstop’ deal for a frictionless border.<\/p>\n
Talks will resume on trying to resolve the Irish question on Monday and how to prevent a fresh border when Britain leaves the European Union.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar made surprise comments at the summit that negotiations may go down to the wire on the border and even last until October, when a final withdrawal deal must be ready for member states. However, he would prefer if the backstop and border question was resolved by June.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il though said the government’s comfort with an October deadline was a serious miscalculation, putting Ireland in a weaker position regarding an open border.<\/p>\n
However, responding to the criticisms today at the summit, Mr Varadkar hit back at the opposition party.<\/p>\n
He said there was a firm commitment agreed back in December and this had been reaffirmed by Ms May this week.<\/p>\n
The position being put across by Fianna Fail on this has been very inconsistent. We have had everything from a Fianna Fail motion at their Ard Fheis to have a hard border and to put in tolling gantries and so on, to them calling on us to engage in negotiations bilaterally with the UK, to them calling us not to.<\/p>\n
He said the situation between Britain and Ireland should not be viewed as \u201ca conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not a case of when they are winning, we are losing. We are not going to get a good outcome for Ireland on that basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
EU leaders at the summit today agreed to a transition period for Brexit up until the end of 2020 as well as a framework for future trade talks. Negotiations on the border will now resume next week.<\/p>\n