BRUSSELS: The
European Union is offering new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a wary
welcome, insisting it will consider any detailed new ideas he has on Brexit but
cautious lest his gambit is ultimately to blame Brussels for a no-deal
departure. The 27 remaining EU members say publicly and privately that the
divorce settlement, agreed with London but rejected three times by Britain's
parliament, is closed. Johnson says the Irish backstop, an insurance against a
hard border on a new EU frontier between Ireland and Northern Ireland, must be
struck from that Withdrawal Agreement.

"He wants a
deal without a backstop, which he himself knows doesn't work," said an EU
source who has been involved in Brexit discussions. "They have to come
with a credible idea." On the eve of his leadership victory, Johnson
evoked the spirit of the moon landing 50 years ago to say frictionless trade at
the Irish border was achievable after Brexit, which is due to happen on Oct 31.
"October is around the corner. The moon mission was planned for several
years. It could take 10 years to develop a technical solution," said an EU
diplomat.

Johnson has
spoken by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, as well as Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the European Commission,
which has led the EU side of Brexit talks. The British leader has invitations,
but so far no scheduled visits to meet his European counterparts before a G7
meeting in France at the end of August. Johnson's itinerary so far has focused
on Britain.

Johnson has said
he would prefer an exit deal, but was willing to pull Britain out of the
European Union at the end of October without one, ideally with both sides
retaining zero tariffs. EU sources dismiss the idea of such a mini-deal or
managed no deal, lacking a divorce bill of over 30 billion pounds ($37.1
billion) and retaining certain perks of the single market. "Say you want
my car, but we can't agree on the price. So you say let's have a mini-deal so
that you can drive it around for two years until we reach an agreement. Why
would I accept this?" an EU diplomat said.

Snap election,
blame game

Johnson said in a
speech yesterday, while also insisting the Irish backstop be ditched, that he
had very friendly relations with EU leaders and that Britain would be neither
disengaged nor aloof and would try to solve the problem. Even if some are
lukewarm towards Johnson, they welcome the end of a two-month period with no effective
British leader and say a stronger prime minister might be good.

"It might
make a difference. We don't know in advance. It could be like Nixon going to
China," an EU diplomat said, referring to US President Richard Nixon's
1972 visit to Beijing that abruptly normalized US-China relations. One diplomat
described Johnson as a chameleon. "He has many facets. He can be charming.
Now he's put forward the bully, but he is capable of acting differently."

Many in Europe
though are already downbeat. Norbert Roettgen, an ally of Germany's Merkel,
said in a tweet addressed to Johnson that "neither boastful speeches nor
bullying" would make the EU abandon its principles and unity. Some EU
diplomats and officials believe Johnson is already bent on a no-deal Brexit,
even if the current British parliament appears unlikely to accept this and, in
the view of many in Europe, it would devastate the UK economy. But the no-deal
call may be more for domestic consumption.

"He wants to
be divisive, clear, to talk to his base, probably with a view to call an
election soon. We can't rule out an election before October 31," an EU
diplomat said, adding that a larger majority could make Johnson more willing to
accept a compromise and push it through parliament. A UK election campaign
could also likely see a ramping up of the blame game, with Brussels the target,
even if EU officials insist compromises on the backstop and Brexit extensions
at Britain's request demonstrate EU flexibility. "There will be a
communication war ... The truth is that blaming Brexit or a no deal on the EU
may be a good communication strategy, but it's simply not the reality," an
EU source said. - Reuters