EU chiefs say Britain must start exit process 'as soon as possible'

EU chiefs told Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc "as soon as possible", after outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday he would leave the negotiations to his successor.

European Council President Donald Tusk speaks during a media conference at the EU Council building in Brussels on Friday, June 24, 2016 | AP

BRUSSELS: EU chiefs told Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc "as soon as possible", after outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday he would leave the negotiations to his successor.

"We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be," said a joint statement after Britons voted for a "Brexit".

The statement was issued by EU president Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz and Dutch premier Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, after crisis talks in Brussels.