UK resists pressure for swift EU withdrawal
LONDON, 26 Jun - (ANA) - Britain will resist pressure from the European Union for a swift start to negotiations on its withdrawal from the bloc, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has indicated. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said the process should begin "immediately". And several EU foreign ministers have urged Britain to start the process soon. But Mr Hammond insisted that "nothing is going to happen at the moment". The timing of the formal notification of intention to leave the EU was in Britain's hands and talks would not start until a new prime minister was chosen to replace David Cameron, he said. Mr Hammond's position was supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, who said Britain's politicians should take time to review the consequences of leaving the EU. "Politicians in London should take the time to reconsider the consequences of the Brexit decision - but by that I emphatically do not mean Brexit itself," Peter Altmaier told Reuters news agency.(ANA)

FA/ANA/26 June 2016--------