British and Irish Foreign Ministers meet on Brexit deadlock in Northern Ireland | Brexit

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British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and her Irish counterpart Simon Coveney had a first friendly meeting over the controversial issue of Brexit deals in Northern Ireland, Irish government sources have said.

They first met at a dinner in London on Thursday evening and discussed the Northern Ireland Protocol, broader relations with the EU and UN security issues including the crisis in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The meeting took place less than a month after the departure of Brexit Minister David Frost and before a first meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Brexit negotiations, Maro efovi, at Foreign Ministers Grace and favor home, Chevening.

Truss and Coveney had previously met in 2014 when they were both responsible for agriculture, but had not seen each other in person since Truss became foreign minister in the cabinet reshuffle in the fall .

An Irish government source said: The Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Secretary have already worked together on the agriculture dossier so it was good to have the opportunity at the start of the new year to meet in person. They had a good and friendly discussion on all matters in their current brief, including Brexit in Northern Ireland, as well as on UN Security Council matters.

Although the meeting was rated as a good one, British sources said Truss would not drop requests for further compromises from the EU on the Brexit protocol in Northern Ireland.

The UK is seeking to drastically reduce trade barriers affecting consumers and businesses amid continued threats from the Democratic Unionist Party to quit the Stormont assembly unless the current protocol is torn apart.

The UK is also upholding Lord Frost’s call for changes to state aid, governance and dispute settlement rules, removing the European Court of Justice as sole arbiter in trade disputes .

While Truss has said she wants a comprehensive solution, many saw her appointment as a time of reset with expectations of new momentum to be forged during her meeting with efovic next week.

The UK has agreed that a two-step solution can break the nine-month deadlock, with an agreement on customs formalities and physical checks by the end of February to avert a crisis ahead of Stormont’s election in may.

In this scenario, the most delicate governance issues would be postponed until the second half of 2022, when political tensions over Brexit would have subsided in Northern Ireland and France would no longer hold the presidency of the European Council.

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