- Title: Brexit deadline of Oct. 31 must be respected, Macron says
- Date: 18th October 2019
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, APPROACHING PODIUM FOR NEWS CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHER MACRON ADDRESSING NEWS CONFERENCE MACRON TALKING JOURNALISTS LISTENING MACRON TALKING, JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING: "I think we should stick to the October 31 deadline. I don't indulge in political fiction so I'm not going to imagine a scenario where the British parliament votes this way or that way but I don't think that any new extension should be agreed to. I think we now need to finish these negotiations and move onto the negotiations about the future relationship and finish them too. So I think we should respect our own commitments, our own deadlines, such political deadlines are important." MACRON LISTENING TO QUESTION MACRON TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING: "Once our objectives, which we always said were not negotiable, which weren't respected by the proposals (British Prime Minister) Boris Johnson made initially but which are respected by his final proposal, and which are the product of discussions with (EU Brexit negotiator) Michel Barnier, I think it's a good agreement." JOURNALIST FILMING ON SMARTPHONE JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING: "I have never used the language you (the journalist) quoted about Boris Johnson. He is sometimes colourful, but we can all be like that sometimes, if I can put it like that. He's a character, but he's a leader with a real strategic vision, who showed his commitment and his desire to get things done. And I think those who didn't take him seriously were wrong." JOURNALIST TYPING MACRON TALKING
- Embargoed: 1st November 2019 13:39
- Keywords: Brexit Britain European Union Emmanuel Macron deal deadline October 31 Boris Johnson
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1ML7PJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French President Emmanuel Macron stuck fast to the existing Brexit deadline on Friday (October 18) as EU leaders at a summit gave mixed signals about whether a further extension could be accorded if British lawmakers reject the new deal.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will put his new plan, agreed by fellow leaders at a summit in Brussels, to members of parliament at an extraordinary session on Saturday.
It remains far from clear whether he has a majority for the deal forged after last minute talks with EU negotiators, particularly as his Northern Irish allies the DUP have said they will not back the text.
But speaking at a news conference on Friday, Macron said that he did not think leaders should go any further in offering more time if the new deal falters in the British parliament.
"I don't think that any new extension should be agreed to... I think we should respect our own commitments, our own deadlines, such political deadlines are important," he said.
Asked about Johnson personally, Macron said he thought he was a "colourful" character but that people had been wrong to underestimate him.
"He's a leader with a real strategic vision," he said.
(Production: Christian Levaux, Ardee Napolitano, Johnny Cotton) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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