Dublin - Ireland is not going to be
bullied in talks over Britain's withdrawal from the European
Union, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in an interview
published on Wednesday.
A disagreement between London and Dublin over plans for the
Irish border have become the most contentious issue in
negotiations with the EU over a divorce deal.
New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for
Ireland to scrap the border "backstop" clause in the deal
negotiated under his predecessor Theresa May.
"Ireland isn't going to be bullied on this issue and as a
government and as a country, I think we are going to stick by
our position," Varadkar said in an interview with the Irish
Daily Mirror newspaper.
Varadkar said Ireland had "total support" from other EU
countries on the backstop, designed as an insurance policy to
prevent border controls between EU-member Ireland and
British-ruled Northern Ireland but which Johnson says will keep
Britain tied to EU customs rules.
Varadkar said his first phone call with Johnson on Tuesday
"went reasonably well" and said he did not consider it a snub
that the call came six days after his appointment.