In Paris, British foreign minister tries to sell Brexit plan

PARIS – French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian and his newly-appointed British counterpart, Jeremy Hunt, are holding their first working meeting in Paris.

Brexit negotiations are high on the agenda Tuesday for Hunt, who later heads to Austria to convince European counterparts to engage with British proposals for a deal.

Hunt was appointed this month after the resignation of Boris Johnson over Prime Minister Theresa May’s white paper detailing a Brexit plan that proposes a close relationship with the European Union.

Hunt said “it is time for the EU to engage with our proposals, or we potentially face the prospect of a no-deal by accident.”

France’s foreign ministry said the meeting would cover international issues, “notably Iran, the situation in Libya and the Sahel, as well as trans-Atlantic relations,” without mentioning Brexit.