Paris, Dublin call for 'clarity' from UK over Brexit

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) – France and Ireland seek more clarity from the U.K. on its Brexit plan, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and his Irish counterpart Charlie Flanagan said on Thursday in Paris.

"It's been five months since the Brexit decision was made by the British people, and I think it's important that we have clarity and that we know exactly what the British plan is," Flanagan told a joint press conference with Ayrault.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has said her country would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for exiting the EU, by the end of March 2017.

However, the U.K’s Supreme Court later decided that a final parliamentary vote is needed to practice full sovereignty over the Brexit deal which will be finalized through negotiations with the EU.

The Supreme Court is due to hear an appeal on Dec. 7, with a ruling to follow in the first weeks of 2017.

Ireland, which has an economy closely linked to the U.K., has been particularly concerned about Britain’s departure from the EU.

"The European Union is ready to negotiate. We're in the starting blocks, but we need to start off on a clear basis. If the basis is clear then negotiations will go well," Ayrault said.

"What's important is clarity. You can't pick and choose what you want... there hasn't been sufficient clarity,” he added.

The Brexit decision came as a result of a June 23 referendum when 52 percent of eligible voters said they no longer wanted to be part of the 28-member bloc. Immigration was cited as one of the main reasons behind the Leave vote.

Speaking today in the British parliament, the U.K. minister responsible for Brexit, David Davis, said EU nationals living in the U.K already had the right to stay because of how long they had been in the country.

“The aim of the government is very clear,” he said. “We wish to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the U.K. and at the same time we wish to guarantee the rights of Britons living in Europe.”