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Irish PM meets European Council president

Xinhua, September 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny met European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday amid the simmering row over the European Commission's tax ruling on U.S. tech firm Apple.

Tusk arrived here for his first official visit to Ireland. The visit took place as the Dail Eireann, lower house of Irish parliament, reconvened to debate the government's decision to appeal the European Commission's ruling that Ireland granted Apple 13 billion euros in illegal state aid.

But Kenny said Apple was not a matter that the two leaders formally discussed during a lunchtime meeting at Government Buildings.

Tusk is visiting European capitals before next week's summit in Slovakia's Bratislava which will discuss the future of Europe in the wake of the Brexit vote.

"That is not a matter we discussed over the meeting because it is not the responsibility of the president of the council," the Irish prime minister said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Kenny said European leaders will not discuss the details of any Brexit situation at the Sept. 16 Bratislava summit.

"We are not going to discuss the details of any Brexit situation at Bratislava because the president and leaders have made it perfectly clear that there can and will be no negotiations either about the United Kingdom leaving the European Union or about a new relationship between Europe and the United Kingdom until Article 50 is actually triggered by the British prime minister," the Irish prime minister said.

Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty sets out how a member state of the European Union (EU) might voluntarily leave the union.

For his part, Tusk said the Bratislava summit is not about Brexit per se.

"It is about bringing back political control of our common future. People are turning against what they perceive as an irrational openness. They see the world around them getting more chaotic," the European Council president said.

He said European leaders must confront "uncontrolled migration, terrorism, injustices linked to globalization" with "real political leadership".

"We in Europe cannot build a political community only on the concept of mandatory and total openness for everyone. The union also has to be about protection, protection of our freedoms, our security, our quality and way of life," he added. Endit