Irish PM tells Johnson that withdrawal agreement cannot be re-opened

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar delivers a lecture on the Future of Europe before the Wilfried Martens Fund at the KUL in Leuven

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Tuesday that the Brexit withdrawal agreement could not be re-opened, and that "satisfactory" alternative arrangements have yet to be identified.

"Alternative arrangements could replace the backstop in the future, but thus far satisfactory options have yet to be identified and demonstrated," Varadkar told Johnson in a phone call, the Irish government's press office said.

Varadkar invited Johnson to Dublin for talks on Brexit and for a discussion of bilateral matters including Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement and the Common Travel Area, the press office added.

(Reporting by Graham Fahy; Editing by Andrew Heavens)