BRUSSELS: French President Francois Hollande warned British Prime Minister Theresa May during her first European Union summit on Thursday that she would face tough negotiations if she insists on a "hard Brexit".
May called on EU leaders to work together for a "smooth" withdrawal following Britain's shock June vote to leave the bloc, but Hollande said her apparent preference for a decisive break means she will not get an easy ride.
"I have said it very clearly: Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit? Then talks will be hard too," he told reporters as he arrived for the two-day talks in Brussels.
May's announcement earlier this month that she would start formal exit negotiations by the end of March was welcomed by EU leaders, who are pressing for a swift divorce to limit the uncertainty.
But she sparked anger with promises to her Conservative party to limit EU migration while also seeking "maximum freedom" to operate in the bloc's single market -- two things that Brussels says are incompatible.
The French leader's outburst was in stark contrast to EU president Donald Tusk, who had earlier taken pains to welcome May after she was excluded from last month's summit of 27 leaders in Bratislava.
"Some media described her first meeting in the European Council as entering the lion's den. It's not true. It's more like a nest of doves," Tusk told reporters.
But he repeated that there would be no negotiations before Britain triggers Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty, which begins a two-year countdown to leaving.
May will hold her first bilateral talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker over lunch on Friday, but no substantive debate on Brexit is expected.
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