International News

BERLIN, (APP/AFP) – German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday that the EU would weather
the shock of the British vote to leave the union as he convened
crisis talks.
“I am confident that these countries can also send a
message that we won’t let anyone take Europe from us,” he said
heading into a meeting in Berlin of his counterparts from the
EU’s six founding members.
His French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault urged quick
negotiations on Britain’s exit from the union, saying that
the pressure would be “very strong” on British Prime Minister
David Cameron at an EU summit on Tuesday to speed up the
process.
Cameron, who on Friday announced his resignation by
October in the wake of the referendum, said it should be his
successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50
of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year timeframe
to leave.
Steinmeier called the European Union “a successful
project of peace and stability” and said that there was a
“strong desire” within the bloc to defend and strengthen
it.
“I think it is absolutely clear that we are in a
situation in which neither hysteria nor paralysis are
permissible,” he said.
“We must not rush headlong into hectic action,
pretending we had all the answers. But we must also not
fall into depression or inaction after the British
decision.”
Steinmeier hosted Ayrault, the Netherlands’ Bert
Koenders, Italy’s Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium’s Didier Reynders
and Luxemburg’s Jean Asselborn in a lakeside villa north
of the city centre.
Ayrault said he and Steinmeier, whose countries long
represented the twin-engine of European integration, were
working on joint proposals that could deepen cooperation
among EU members that use the euro currency, or bolster
security and defence coordination.
Steinmeier said the ministers would discuss joint
action on the refugee influx, the unemployment crisis and
security during their meeting scheduled to wrap up around
1000 GMT with a news conference.