The British newspaper, The Independent, said that negotiations on a trade exchange agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom after London's exit from the Union have entered their final stage, but the outcome is still uncertain.
The newspaper indicated in its editorial today that the two parties were expecting what will happen now, and therefore it is difficult for observers outside the negotiating team to predict the chances of reaching an agreement.
It may also be difficult for negotiators to predict this, because they know what everyone knows is that political leaders on both sides will agree on the final shape of the deal or fail to do so at the last minute.
The Independent stated that the joint statement, issued on Saturday evening by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, provided nothing new except to confirm that the talks had not collapsed, and would resume on Sunday in Brussels.
Its editorial indicated that it is clear that the United Kingdom will have to pay the price to access the single European Union market on favorable terms, and that Johnson will have to make concessions in order to reach an agreement, especially since everyone sees it in his interest to do so.
And the only real question, the newspaper says, to push towards securing an agreement is to find words that allow the prime minister to make concessions to the European Union at a time when he announces to the local public, loudly and convincingly, that he has achieved a historic victory.
The Independent concluded that the failure to reach an agreement between the two parties would be a failure in the management of governance for both, but that Johnson will bear the bulk of the blame in the absence of a deal for the post-Brexit period.