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| Donald Tusk: 'Real' risk of break-up over EU referendum talks | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Negotiations over the UK's EU reform demands are at a "critical moment" and the risk of break-up "is real", EU Council president Donald Tusk has said. | Negotiations over the UK's EU reform demands are at a "critical moment" and the risk of break-up "is real", EU Council president Donald Tusk has said. |
| Mr Tusk, who is overseeing the negotiation, urged European leaders to handle the situation "with care". | Mr Tusk, who is overseeing the negotiation, urged European leaders to handle the situation "with care". |
| UK PM David Cameron is seeking a deal at this week's crunch EU summit before holding the UK's referendum. | |
| Earlier he bowed to pressure to hold a cabinet meeting straight after the summit if a deal is agreed. | |
| The prime minister is due to meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris later. | |
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| Mr Tusk is on a tour of European countries ahead of the two-day summit of EU leaders, which begins on Thursday. | |
| Speaking after holding talks with the Romanian and French presidents, he said negotiations on Britain's future inside the 28-member bloc were "difficult but… hugely important". | |
| Reflecting on the talks, he said: "This is a critical moment. It is high time we started listening to each other's arguments more than to our own. | |
| "It is natural in negotiations that positions harden, as we get closer to crunch time. | |
| "But the risk of break-up is real because this process is indeed very fragile. Handle with care. What is broken cannot be mended." | |
| BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said Mr Tusk was trying to "concentrate minds" ahead of the EU summit as leaders of the different member states stake out their positions. | |
| The French government is said to be concerned about UK calls for protection for non-eurozone countries, but No 10 said the French had shown "willingness" to find a solution. | |
| As part of his diplomatic push, Mr Cameron - who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks on Friday - will discuss the renegotiation with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday, as well as senior MEPs. | |
| If a deal is agreed on the PM's reforms, which also include curbs on migrants' welfare entitlement, he will hold a cabinet meeting on Friday evening, sources have told the BBC. | |
| Downing Street has said ministers cannot speak out until the cabinet has met to agree a government position, and it was claimed this would give the Remain campaign an unfair head start if a meeting was delayed until the following week. |