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Spanish PM asks for political support in face of Brexit

Xinhua, April 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday asked for the political support of all of the parties in Congress to help the country to face the possible consequences of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (EU).

Rajoy was asked in Congress by representatives of both the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Basque National Party (PNV) about his government's attitude to the Brexit and promised he would act "together with Parliament."

"First of all, we have to negotiate the terms of the (UK's) withdrawal from the EU and then we have to talk about the future," Rajoy said, adding he was against piecemeal negotiations.

Rajoy said his government would "negotiate a packet and there will not be agreement over any single issue until there is agreement over all of them."

He rejected the veiled threat made by British Prime Minister Theresa May last week that the Brexit would weaken the fight against terrorism and highlighted the need to guarantee the rights of more than 100,000 Spanish nationals who currently live in the UK.

Rajoy's response received the approval of Congress with PSOE spokesman Antonio Hernando saying the UK could not have "one foot in and one foot out: Brexit is Brexit and you can't be on both sides of the table. First, you have to leave, and then you have to call again."

A recent study showed the Brexit would have a negative effect on Spain with a reduction in the number of holidaymakers from the UK, while the imposition of tariffs would have a negative effect on Spain's agricultural, automobile, and pharmaceutical industries.

Meanwhile, recent days have also seen a buildup of tensions over British Crown Colony of Gibraltar, which is attached to the Spanish mainland. Endit