On eve of summit, May calls Brexit deal 'within grasp'

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON

Just days before an emergency summit with EU leaders, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday called a Brexit deal “within grasp,” saying she is “determined” to deliver it.

In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, May said she had “a good, detailed discussion with [European Commission] President [Jean-Claude] Juncker in which I set out what was needed in that political declaration to deliver for the United Kingdom.”

“We tasked our negotiating teams to continue working overnight and as a result, the text of that declaration has been agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom,” she said.

“This is the right deal for the U.K.,” May said.

She underlined that the deal “delivers on the vote of the [2016 Brexit] referendum.”

“The agreement we’ve reached is between the U.K. and the European Commission – it is now up to the 27 leaders of the other EU member states to examine this agreement in the days leading up to the special EU Council meeting on Sunday,” she added.

May’s statement followed an announcement by European Council President Donald Tusk. He tweeted earlier on Thursday that a draft document shaping the post-Brexit relationships between the U.K. and EU has been principally agreed by the parties.

“I have just sent to EU27 a draft Political Declaration on the future relationship between EU and UK,” Tusk said on Twitter.

He said Juncker has “informed me that it has been agreed at negotiators’ level and agreed in principle at level, subject to the endorsement of the leaders."

May said she will give a statement on the latest in negotiations at the House of Commons Thursday evening and travel to Brussels on Saturday ahead of the emergency Brexit summit, which is set for Sunday.

Gibraltar issue

On the issue of Gibraltar, May said she spoke last night with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, adding that she is “confident that on Sunday we will be able to a deal that delivers for the whole U.K. family, including Gibraltar.”

Sanchez previously said Spain would vote against the Political Declaration as it is not happy with the clause regarding Gibraltar’s future relations with the EU.

Gibraltar – a British overseas territory with a population of around 30,000 – was ceded to Britain by Spain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, but Spanish claims over the region continued. In referenda in 1967 and 2002, the Rock's public widely rejected proposals for it to be governed by Madrid.

Spain is demanding that future EU talks with the U.K. do not cover Gibraltar, and it wants to have the final say over any future arrangements in that regard.

May added that she would return to Brussels for further meetings with Juncker, “where we will discuss how to bring this process to a conclusion in the interest of all our people.”

“The British people want this to be settled,” she said.

“They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it,” she added.