Britain, EU reach divorce deal: reports

LONDON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- British and European Union (EU) negotiators have reached a divorce deal, paving the way for a meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Monday.

Media reports claimed that the EU wants at least 60 billion euros (71 billion U.S. dollars) from Britain as part of an exit deal. Although the Department for Exiting the EU in London distanced itself from the figures quoted, there are widespread reports that Britain is offering around 40 billion euros (47.39 billion dollars).

A report in The Guardian Wednesday claimed that Britain had bowed to a 50-billion-euro (59.24 billion dollars) deal with Brussels to move ahead on a future free trade agreement.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Britain and the EU had reached an agreement in principle worth 45 billion to 55 billion euros (53.3 billion to 65 billion dollars).

Sources told The Telegraph that the breakthrough on the divorce bill leaves only two major obstacles for the European Council to overcome when it convenes on Dec. 14-15, including the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Britain after Brexit.

The Telegraph said the British offer on all three areas -- money, citizens' rights and Northern Ireland -- is expected to be delivered by May on Dec. 4 to enable Michel Barnier, the EU chief negotiator, to make his recommendation on "sufficient progress".

If the figures are confirmed, it will infuriate Brexit hardliners in Britain, some of whom want Britain to walk away from the negotiations without paying a penny.

Brexit Secretary David Davis was at the center of a row at Westminster over a series of documents on the likely scenarios when Britain leaves the EU.

The Independent newspaper said Davis will face a grilling at Westminster next week to explain why the full versions of the documents have not been released.

Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow has warned government ministers that they could be held in contempt of parliament for withholding details of the government's Brexit impact assessments from members of Parliament, the Times reported.

The Labour Party has complained that many sections of the documents have been blanked out because some information is regarded as sensitive by the government. Enditem