Italy PM says EU must remain united during Brexit negotiations

FILE PHOTO: Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni takes part in a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Trudeau's office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 21, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday the 27 European Union countries should remain united during negotiations with Great Britain on its exit from the bloc.

Speaking in parliament ahead of an extraordinary EU summit on Saturday called to set the terms for the negotiations, Gentiloni said he expected negotiations to begin in mid-June, and he "trusted" they would lead to a positive result in which the United Kingdom would remain a "friend and ally".