We could be talking as early as next spring to start to see sanctions lifting off. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond More Quotes by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond More Quotes From Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond For the moment we are not in a position to begin substantive negotiations immediately and therefore it would be unwise to start the process ticking by triggering Article 50. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond world I am clear that there is no appetite in Libya for foreign combat troops on the ground, we do not anticipate any requests from the GNA for ground combat forces to take on Daesh (Islamic State) or any other armed groups and we have no plans to deploy troops in such a role. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond energy There isn't a deal yet, there is a working draft, there are lots of moving parts and we have got a negotiation that will run through this week, and I have no doubt will run right to the wire. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond world Our European partners understand that we have to have a robust deal in each of those areas if the British people are to vote to remain inside the European Union. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond world China is more cautious than some of the rest of us, for reasons that we do understand, what we will be doing, the United States and Japan will be doing, is seeking to persuade the Chinese that it is in the interests of all of the international community now to apply some more direct economic pressure on North Korea at this point. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond industrials I have spoken to my Japanese counterpart this morning and we are all focused on looking at additional economic sanctions that could be applied against North Korea. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond industrials We will certainly want to support the new Libyan government in any practical way we can but I don't envisage that there will be a situation where we need or want to put combat troop boots on the ground, i don't think we are likely to think that putting combat troops on the ground is a helpful contribution - there are plenty of armed men in Libya. What they need is organization, command and control, air-gathered intelligence, strategic organization. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond world We are ready to engage with anyone who is willing to talk about what that political transition in Syria might look like, but we are very clear from our point of view it must involve, at some point, the departure of Bashar al-Assad. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond energy There was always going to be a group of our colleagues who wanted to come out of the European Union come what may, that is not where the government is... we're clear that the European Union isn't working, as it is at the moment, it's not fit for the 21st century, but we think it's fixable. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond world The UK stands squarely behind the Ukrainian people and government as they defend their nation's independence and work towards the political, economic and governance reforms that are vital to rebuilding the country. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond healthcare