BRUSSELS: The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier firmly ruled out on Tuesday Britain “cherry-picking” the aspects of the EU it liked when it leaves the bloc.
European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday dismissed as “pure illusion” the ideas floated by Britain so far on what sort of future relationship it wanted with the European Union.
Asked if he agreed with Tusk, notably regarding British ideas for a three-pronged deal in which Britain would stick to the bloc’s rules after Brexit in some areas, diverge moderately in others and go its own way for the rest, Barnier replied: “yes.”
“We can’t possibly imagine a situation in which we would accept cherry-picking. We are responsible for guaranteeing the integrity of the single market,” he told a news conference after a meeting of EU ministers to discuss Brexit.
“The UK knows what the rules are that underpin that integrity because they’ve been helping us put them together for the last 40 years.”
EU’s Barnier firmly rules out British ‘cherry-picking’ on Brexit
EU’s Barnier firmly rules out British ‘cherry-picking’ on Brexit
North Korea says it respects Iran’s choice of new supreme leader: KCNA
- North Korea, a longstanding US adversary, has previously condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran an “illegal act of aggression”
- Defying US President Donald Trump’s desire to have a say in who runs Iran, the Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who died in an Israeli airstrike on February 28
SEOUL: North Korea respects Iran’s choice of new supreme leader, state media reported Wednesday, as it accused the United States and Israel of destroying regional peace.
“With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by state news agency KCNA.
Defying US President Donald Trump’s desire to have a say in who runs Iran, the Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who died in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
North Korea, a longstanding US adversary, has previously condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran an “illegal act of aggression.”
On Wednesday, the North Korean spokesperson reiterated that position, saying that the United States and Israel “are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide.”
“Any rhetorical threats and military action, which violate the political system and territorial integrity of the relevant country, interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system, deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated,” the spokesperson added.
In recent months, the Trump administration has mounted a push to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a potential summit between the US president and the North’s Kim Jong Un this year.
After largely ignoring those overtures for months, Kim recently said that the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.
