Barnier welcomes UK Irish backstop, sets conditions

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier welcomed a new British proposal on Thursday for a backstop plan to avoid a hard border in Ireland - but he stuck by key conditions that have led to a stalemate in talks so far.EU officials were reviewing a British technical note on a temporary customs arrangement, but initial reactions were that London's request to keep the whole United Kingdom within the EU customs area for a time after Brexit could work under some condition.