Taoiseach to insist Ireland's Brexit backstop position cannot be changed at EU-Arab League summit
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will again insist Ireland's Brexit backstop position cannot be changed in private meetings with EU leaders today - just 33 days out from the EU-UK divorce.
Mr Varadkar will repeat the Government message during talks in Egypt as part of the first-ever EU-Arab League joint summit at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The two-day summit, which is taking place under tight security in the troubled country, will focus specifically on the migration crisis, peace in the middle east, human rights and increased opportunities for both political groups to work together.
However, the meetings - which will also be attended by European Council president Donald Tusk, European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, British prime minister Theresa May and 22 other EU member state leaders - will also be used by Mr Varadkar to press home Ireland's Brexit position.
"While Brexit is not on the agenda for the summit, the event will provide me with the opportunity to discuss latest developments with many of my EU counterparts who will be in attendance," Mr Varadkar said in a statement on Sunday morning.
The view was repeated by Tanaiste Simon Coveney on Sky News this morning when he said" the withdrawal agreement is not up for re-negotiation, the withdrawal agreement wording is not going to change".
Government sources have said that while Ireland is open to finding a way to offer firmer legal re-assurances to Britain that the backstop is not intended to be permanent, it and the EU will refuse to re-open last November's withdrawal treaty.
The position is a key stumbling block for Ms May, who will face a crucial House of Commons vote on her deal on Wednesday - a ballot which will also see MPs decide on a separate motion on whether to take a no deal option off the table.
If such a step is taken, it would place further pressure on all sides of the crisis to agree to extend the Friday March 29 Brexit divorce date.
However, while this may be backed by the majority of the House of Commons and some EU leaders, an extension can only occur if it is also backed by the European parliament - something which is not guaranteed.
Meanwhile, it is expected Mr Varadkar and EU leaders will press home the need for greater focus on human rights issues in Egypt and other Arab nations affected by violence, uprisings and at times viscious clampdowns over the past decade.
The discussions will be of particular interest to the family and supporters of Irish-Egyptian Ibrahim Halawa, who spent a number of years in jail in Cairo without conviction until his release in October 2017.
