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DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Now this week could be crunch time for the Prime Minister’s attempts to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s relationship within the European Union.  Leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday for a key summit but how are Britain’s negotiations but how it is going down on the continent?  Well Yves Leterme was Prime Minister of Belgium until 2011 and he is now Secretary General of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, he joins me now from Paris.  A very good morning to you Mr Leterme, tell me from your perspective how has Mr Cameron handled these negotiations and do you think the leaders in Brussels will be in the mood, will be of the mind to give him what he wants?  

YVES LETERME: Well I think broadly speaking David Cameron has managed this issue very well.  Remember it is an issue created by Britain itself, by the United Kingdom itself so to arrive at the table of negotiations with only from the one side demands and then have this result, we still have to see if they will be in a position to strike a deal on Thursday but I would say seen from as a semi-outsider, this has been managed quite well and I think that honestly lots of capitals and lots of leaders are indeed in the mood to strike a deal, to have an agreement.  There are lots of difficult negotiations on the table so to get out of the way this Brexit issue would be very important I think and it is not only from the side of David Cameron that the feeling is prevailing I think that there is a need for a good agreement, a balanced agreement and that we are quite close to it.

DM: In a sense they are all politicians, they do understand the domestic politics, the UK politics of all this, that Mr Cameron needs to come back and say I’ve had a big win and that therefore will give him momentum to carry into a referendum campaign.

YVES LETERME: Yes but I think it is honest to say that, it’s fair to say that indeed what he has as a pre-agreement or let’s say what is on the table now, is quite an important breakthrough.  It is closely related to the principles of the European Union until now, it is about a free movement of citizens within the union and that is one of the essentials of the European construction and the fact that he is negotiating on this and having an approach where the UK would be in a position to have a kind of exception, I think it is an impressive result until now.  Let’s see now in terms of the so-called brake what the conditionality is, what the timeline would be but I think there is a possibility to have a deal and that would be quite an important achievement, yes.

DM: But would there also be a mood, is there a mood that will say okay, we’ve allowed you to cut a deal, if it flows through then to a successful referendum for Mr Cameron would there be the thought that now you’ve got to get more involved, the UK, in the European Union, do your fair share and particularly when it comes to the issue of accepting migrants and that crisis?

YVES LETERME: Well what I feel most is not that much that kind of movement, it would more be that behind Britain and behind Mr Cameron that other countries would hide in his back and come out next Thursday with also from their point of view all kinds of demands to the European Union leadership.  Don’t underestimate the fact that in order to have an agreement on Thursday you have to have a yes from 28 countries and all these member states have their domestic political scene.  I would say it is not only within the UK and within the UK political environment that there is some political turmoil, all domestic politicians are under pressure and what’s happening on the European scene is one of the main sources of disenchantment, of turmoil and so I hope that I’m wrong but I wouldn’t exclude a move of some other member states to the front to say okay, we can strike a deal with Mr Cameron but to have our yes here are so and so our demands from our side and that until now they have been hiding a bit behind the back of Mr Cameron.  I am more concerned for such a movement.

DM: Interesting point that, you are the former leader of a country that did a lot of trade obviously with the United Kingdom, what about one of the key arguments within the campaign within the UK that those that want to leave the European Union say, that there would be no problem in terms of continuing to do trade with the bulk of the European Union, do you think it would be that easy?

YVES LETERME: Well I think to be honest, I know there have been some politicians from the European continent have been threatening the UK and saying it will be more difficult for the City and in terms of trade, to be honest I think the European economy on the continent needs the UK market, needs close co-operation, needs free trade and so I think that’s not really a convincing argument to say it will be more difficult to organise free trade.  No, I think it is as much in the interests of the member states of the European continent to have good free trade with the UK than it is for the UK so I think there is certainly a need to even go further in terms of integration of both economies.   

DM: And I wonder if you have got a thought given the nature of politics in Belgium, it is very different in the UK but you’ll be aware of the Scottish independence referendum the year before last here and this argument from Scotland that if the UK overall votes to leave the European Union then Scotland could relatively quickly have its own independence referendum again and stay within the European Union.  Do you think that would be possible?

YVES LETERME: I think it’s possible.  On the other hand I think in the minds of lots of European leaders, they also look for some of them at their domestic scene and I think the Spanish leadership, even in Belgium for instance, it is important indeed to have a good settlement, a good agreement with the UK and as soon as possible, to avoid in the next month’s maybe due to the crisis of refugees and asylum seekers, that there would be a new momentum for these separatists and secessionist movements so also from that point of view I think there is a keen interest in lots of the European continent amongst political leaders to strike a deal and have an agreement so let’s hope next Thursday or Friday or during the night, that they succeed.   

DM: Great talking to you and great getting your perspective Mr Leterme, thank you very much indeed.  Yves Leterme there, former Prime Minister of Belgium.