Macron firm on backstop as Brexit talks with British prime minister continue

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday to discuss a new deal for Britain to leave the European Union.

Macron said the backstop agreement with Ireland and Northern Ireland will be "indispensable" to the Brexit deal. His goal is to prevent a hard border with Ireland. Macron said he's been portrayed as the "hard boy" of the EU, but he wants to be clear about his stance.

"We will not find a new withdrawal agreement within 30 days which will be very different from the existing one," Macron said. "The Irish backstop (clauses) are not simply technical constraints but vital guarantees for the preservation of stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market, which is the basis of the European Project."

Macron said "under no circumstances" would the EU put checks or controls on the Ireland-Britain border.

Johnson, who has remained adamant that Britain will leave the EU Oct. 31 with or without a deal, wants the EU to ditch the backstop altogether.

Johnson said that with "energy and creativity we can find a way forward."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the onus was on Britain to find a workable plan.