N.Ireland protocol unlikely to be solved by year end, Coveney says

FILE PHOTO: Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney speaks at the launch of his party's manifesto for the Irish General Election in Dublin, Ireland January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Lorraine O'Sullivan/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he did not expect Britain and the European Union to resolve all the issues around their Northern Irish trade dispute by the end of this year, but said progress was being made.

Speaking at the Foreign Office in London following a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, Coveney said serious gaps remained between the two sides on the Northern Ireland protocol.