Brussels is moving to conditional approval to postpone the bricast

A draft statement by European Union leaders said the bloc would agree to give Britain a deadline until May 22 to quit if the British parliament approved the disengagement plan next week.

"The European Union is committed to approving before March 29, 2019, the extension until May 22, provided that the withdrawal agreement is approved by the House of Commons next week," the draft statement said after talks on Thursday between leaders of the EU's 27 member states.

"Since the United Kingdom does not intend to participate in the European Parliament elections, it is not possible to extend beyond that date," the statement added.

The extension, closer to June 30, sought by British Prime Minister Theresa May, is contingent on the British parliament's approval of an exit agreement next week, the German news agency DPA quoted an EU diplomat as saying.

May has pledged to put the withdrawal agreement to an additional vote, but said that the procedures for leaving the European Union will not be completed clearly before the 29th of this month as planned.

European Council President Donald Tusk responded by saying that the short delay would be possible if the British parliament approved the exit agreement.

May will have to persuade the House of Commons to ratify the revised version of the agreement, to avoid an unorganized exit scenario from the EU.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the European Union could hold another emergency summit next week, which would delay the BRICEST deadline, but that would be accompanied by very difficult conditions that the British parliament is unlikely to accept.