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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland has made “significant progress” in talks with Britain on the future of the Northern Irish border, but the sides are “not there yet”, a spokesman for Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday.

The spokesman said Ireland was seeking “a commitment to avoid a hard border in the withdrawal treaty, or ensuring that the rules and regulations of the single market and customs union cannot diverge”.

It is also looking for assurances on the protection of the Northern Ireland peace process, cross-border funding and the British-Irish common travel area as well as a commitment to a transition period, he said.