BRUSSELS: Britain and the EU are stuck in a “disturbing” deadlock over the Brexit divorce bill, although a breakthrough remains possible in the next two months, EU negotiator Michel Barnier said Thursday.
The stalemate will stoke fears swirling in London and Brussels of a breakdown in talks that could see Britain leaving the EU in March 2019 without an agreement to soften the blow.
Wrapping up a fifth round of talks with Britain’s David Davis, Barnier said he could not recommend to EU leaders at a summit next week that negotiations move on from divorce issues to talks on a post-Brexit trade deal.
The Frenchman reserved his most cutting comments for the issue of financial commitments, saying Britain had still not spelled out what Prime Minister Theresa May promised in a key speech in Florence, Italy, last month.
“We are at a deadlock on this question which is extremely disturbing,” Barnier told a press conference with Davis at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.
Speaking a mix of French and English, Barnier said the “constructive” talks had clarified some points but that there had not been any “great steps forward” on central issues.
The leaders of the other 27 EU countries have demanded there be “sufficient progress” on the Brexit bill, the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, and on Northern Ireland before moving on to discuss a post-Brexit trade deal.
Barnier said on the bill in particular there had been no actual negotiations with Davis, only narrow technical talks on the details.
“I am not currently able to recommend to next week’s European Council to open discussions on the future relationship,” Barnier said.
But he added: “I remain convinced that with political will, decisive breakthroughs are within reach in the coming two months.”
The EU negotiator also warned against the possibility of a so-called “Hard Brexit” after May admitted this week that her government was setting aside money for a “no-deal scenario.”
“A no deal will be a very bad deal,” Barnier said.
Davis, a key figure in the Leave campaign in last year’s Brexit referendum, said he still hoped EU leaders could decide to shift to the next phase when they meet next week.
“I hope the member states will recognize the progress we’ve made and take a step forward in the spirit of the prime minister’s Florence speech,” Davis said, adding that it was “in the interests of Europe and the UK.”
Davis called on EU leaders to give Barnier a mandate next week to “explore ways forward” on May’s proposal for a two-year transition period after Brexit, even if trade talks are not opened.
The possibility of Britain leaving without a deal has suddenly become a reality in recent days, as the failure of negotiators to reach a breakthrough has rattled nerves and markets.
EU President Donald Tusk warned on Tuesday that the bloc may rethink whether a Brexit deal is possible if there is no progress by the end of the year.
Tusk also ruled out the possibility of moving onto the trade talks phase at the Oct. 19 summit, though he said he hoped to be able to by the next summit in December.
“If it turns out that the talks continue at a slow pace, and that ‘sufficient progress’ hasn’t been reached, then — together with our UK friends — we will have to think about where we are heading,” he said.
Brexit talks in ‘disturbing deadlock,’ EU’s Barnier says
Brexit talks in ‘disturbing deadlock,’ EU’s Barnier says
FBI foils Daesh-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot
- Christian Sturdivant,18, charged with attempting to provide material support to foreign terrorist organization
- Investigators say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee
CHARLOTTE, United States: The FBI said Friday it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old man who authorities say pledged loyalty to the Daesh group.
Christian Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after investigators say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant.
Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody after a federal court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him Friday did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Another hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.
The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14 people were killed in New Orleans by a US citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for Daesh on social media.
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what investigators described as a manifesto detailing plans for an attack with knives and a hammer, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle said at a news conference Friday.
“He was willing to sacrifice himself,” Barnacle said.
US Attorney for western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the planned attack in Mint Hill, a bedroom community near Charlotte, targeted “places that we go every day and don’t think that we may be harmed.”
Worried he might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve, the FBI placed Sturdivant under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas, Ferguson said. Agents were prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, he said. “At no point was the public in harm’s way.”
The fact that Sturdivant encountered two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the public, Ferguson said. He declined to identify the grocery store and restaurant cited in the complaint, citing the ongoing investigation.
If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.
An FBI affidavit says the investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of Daesh, including imagery that appeared to promote violence. The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the extremist group.
Some experts argue that Daesh is powerful today partly as a brand, inspiring both militant groups and individuals in attacks that the group itself may have no real role in.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned that he had been in contact with a person in Europe the FBI says was an Daesh member, and had received instructions to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and commit attacks with a hammer.
At that time, Sturdivant did actually set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
The FBI in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve plot, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern California.
Other Daesh-inspired attacks over the past decade include a 2015 shooting rampage by a husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and a 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by a gunman who fatally shot 49 people.
