EU endorses Brexit deal: Tusk

Muscat: The European Union (EU) has endorsed the recently negotiated Brexit deal.
A meeting of the union's 27 leaders concluded with the rapid approval of the withdrawal text determining the UK's exit from the EU.
Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, said, "EU27 has endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future EU-UK relations."
The deal will be put to the British parliament next month.
Meanwhile in the UK, British Prime Minister Theresa May has called on the general public to support her Brexit deal in an open letter. The letter, which was published online, comes as MPs in the UK prepare for a showdown over the withdrawal agreement.
In a personal and emotional appeal to the public, May said, "When I became your prime minister the United Kingdom had just voted to leave the European Union. From my first day on the job, I knew I had a clear mission before me- a duty to fulfil on your behalf: to honour the result of the referendum and secure a brighter future for our country by negotiating a good Brexit deal with the EU states."
The deal, she said, would honour the result of the referendum.
"It will be a deal that is in our national interest — one that works for our whole country and all of our people, whether you voted 'Leave or 'Remain'.
"We will take back control of our borders, by putting an end to the free movement of people once and for all. Instead of an immigration system based on where a person comes from, we will build one based on the skills and talents a person has to offer.
"The deal also protects the things we value. EU citizens who have built their lives in the United Kingdom will have their rights protected, as will UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU. It is a deal for a brighter future, which enables us to seize the opportunities that lie ahead".
The letter and the EU's endorsement of the deal sets the stage for a major clash in Westminster, where critics of the withdrawal agreement include the opposition Labour Party, the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), and members of May's own governing coalition.