Brussels, Dec 7 (AFP) The European Commission said todaythat there was still "no white smoke" on a Brexit deal and seta limit of Sunday for British Prime Minister Theresa May toreturn to Brussels with an acceptable deal.
"So far no white smoke. We stand ready to receive primeminister May at any moment in time when they are ready,"Margaritis Schinas, chief spokesman for commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, told reporters in Brussels.
The Vatican sends up white smoke when a new pope ischosen.
"But I would like to repeat what President Juncker saidon this, namely that this will have to happen this week, inthis building. We work for a full week, 24/7, and our weekincludes Sunday."Talks between May and Juncker broke up on Monday withouta deal after a pro-British party in Northern Ireland thatprops up the British leader's government objected to a clauseabout future arrangements for the Irish border.
Time is now running out for a deal on Brexit divorceterms, which would allow the opening of talks on a futuretrade deal at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on December14-15.
Schinas dismissed British newspaper reports that thedeadline could be extended into next week as "not correct".
Diplomats from the other EU 27 nations are to meet onMonday and would need to see European Council chief DonaldTusk's draft guidelines for opening the next phase of talksthen in order to approve them for the summit, he said.
The EU has demanded "sufficient progress" on the divorceissues of the Ireland border with Northern Ireland, Britain'sbill for leaving the bloc, and the rights of European citizensin Britain in order to move on to the second stage.
"Every day lost makes this more difficult," he said.
"President Juncker is a born optimist... but it takes two totango, two to be optimist."But EU sources said it was still possible that Europeanleaders could agree at the summit next week that there hadbeen "sufficient progress", in order to give May a win, whilepostponing their approval of the guidelines for trade talks.
They could then approve those guidelines at EU summitsdue in February, or failing that in March, sources said. (AFP)CPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.