London [UK]: The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has accepted the invitation of France’s secretary of state for European Affairs to discuss the fisheries dispute between the two countries, a UK government spokesman has said. French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune has invited the UK official to hold talks on the issue in Paris this Thursday. The French side has also announced postponing the implementation of previously announced sanctions against London for the time being. “We welcome France’s acknowledgement that in-depth discussions are needed to resolve the range of difficulties in the UK/EU relationship. Lord Frost has accepted Clement Beaune’s invitation and looks forward to the discussions in Paris on Thursday,” the spokesman said in a statement. London has also approved of France’s decision to refrain from imposing the sanctions that were scheduled to go into force on Tuesday. “We welcome the French Government’s announcement that they will not go ahead with implementing their proposed measures as planned tomorrow. The UK has set out its position clearly on these measures in recent days,” the spokesman said. Last week, France said that it would impose sanctions against the United Kingdom over London’s alleged refusal to issue enough fishing licenses for French fishermen to access British waters under the Brexit trade deal.
