"Both for the EU and the UK, a fair deal is possible, and far better than no deal, that is what I say to David today, that is why we will work all the time with the UK and never against the UK," Michel Barnier said at a joint press conference with his British counterpart David Davis, after wrapping up the opening salvo of the Brexit talks in Brussels.
His remarks obviously alluded to British Prime Minister Theresa May's catchphrase "no deal is better than bad deal."
Barnier hailed that the first session was "important", "open", and "useful indeed to start off on the right foot as the clock is ticking".
"Today we agreed on dates, we agreed on organization, and we agreed on priorities for the negotiation," he said, outlining a two-step negotiation.
"In the first step, we will deal with the most pressing issues, we must lift the uncertainty caused by Brexit; we want to make sure that the withdrawal of UK happens in an orderly manner.
"In the first step, the negotiation rounds will be broken down into three groups -- citizen rights, the single financial settlement, and other separation issues.
"These groups will report back to their respective principles during each negotiation week. David Davis and I, as chief EU negotiator, will discuss the issues together, tackle difficulties, and lift obstacles.
"Then in the second step, we scope our future partnership; we also agree on how we structure our tools."
Barnier said the two sides will have one week of negotiation every month, and use the time in between to work on proposals and exchange them.
[globaltimes.cn/Xinhua]
20/6/17
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