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BRUSSELS, Oct. 20-- Despite lacking sufficient progress in the lengthy and loose Bexit negotiation, the European Council on Friday gave green light to the internal preparatory discussions for the second phase talks. If the Council agrees at its next session in December that sufficient progress has been achieved, the second phase would be in touching distance. The decision was the only silver lining of the discussion over Brexit among European Union (EU) leaders during a two-day summit, which failed again to meet the high expectation of citizens living in a fear of "no deal nightmare" along the English Channel. Britain has long been calling for an early start of the second phase talks, which would focus on the possible transitional arrangements and a framework for the future relationship between London and Brussels. PREPARATION FOR 2ND PHASE COULD GO AHEAD At its next session in December, the European Council will determine whether sufficient progress has been achieved in the talks and if so, it will adopt additional guidelines in relation to the framework for the future relationship and on possible transitional arrangements. And Against this background, the European Council invites the Council (Art. 50) together with the Union negotiator to start internal preparatory discussions, said a conclusion document on Brexit issued by the EU27 following the two-day summit. In the document, the European Council welcomed the progress made regarding citizens' rights and invites the negotiator to build on the convergence achieved to provide the necessary legal certainty and guarantees to all concerned citizens and their family members. | 
