EU's Tusk to meet May in London: official

[BRUSSELS] EU President Donald Tusk will meet British prime minister Theresa May in London later Thursday, his office announced, as the two sides prepare for tough Brexit talks.

The visit was listed on an updated weekly schedule for Mr Tusk and gave no reason for the visit nor details of what he would discuss with Mrs May.

The announcement comes after the European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted tough "red lines" for the Brexit negotiations, saying the divorce terms must be agreed first before any talk of a new trade deal.

The parliament largely followed Mr Tusk's own draft guidelines issued last week after Mrs May formally triggered the historic Brexit process.

Mrs May has pressed hard for the divorce and trade deal talks to proceed in tandem but Brussels has repeatedly rebuffed her demands.

The remaining 27 European Union member states are due to sign off on Mr Tusk's guidelines at a summit on April 29, paving the way for formal negotiations to begin at the end of May.

The EU wants a draft deal by October 2018 so that national leaders will have time to approve it before ratification by the European Parliament, most likely in early 2019.

AFP