UK PM, Spanish Prime Minister Reportedly Discussed Brexit Spat in Phone Talks

04:27 GMT, 22 November 2018

CC BY 3.0 / LANOEL / Gibraltar vista desde el mirador del peñón.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez held a long telephone conversation during which Sanchez expressed his disagreement with the provisional UK-EU Brexit agreement, media reported on Thursday, amid Madrid’s threats to reject the deal.

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Sanchez has said earlier this week that Madrid would vote down the deal since it threatened Spain’s ability to negotiate the future of the disputed Gibraltar Peninsula with the United Kingdom.

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In their telephone conversation, Sanchez warned May that Madrid would vote against the draft deal at the special meeting of EU member states, scheduled for Sunday, if the document does not ensure that Spain and the United Kingdom will hold direct talks on the status of Gibraltar, the Europa Press news agency reported, citing sources.

On Thursday, other media reported, citing May’s office, that in her phone talks with Sanchez, the UK prime minister expressed committeemen to reaching a deal that would work for the whole territory of the United Kingdom, including Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory.

On Wednesday, May visited Brussels to discuss the future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. After their meeting, media cited May as saying that she would return to the Belgian capital on Saturday in a bid to seal the deal.

Meanwhile, heads of state and government of 27 EU member states are planning to meet on Sunday to endorse the provisional Brexit deal and a political declaration which supports the agreement.