Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain, September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) - British and European Union negotiators are “closing in on workable solutions” to the outstanding issues in Brexit talks, Britain’s Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said after a phone call with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

“While there remain some substantive differences we need to resolve, it is clear our teams are closing in on workable solutions to the outstanding issues in the Withdrawal Agreement, and are having productive discussions in the right spirit on the future relationship,” Raab said.

“Looking ahead, we agreed to review the state of play in the negotiations following the informal meeting of heads of state or government of the European Union in Salzburg next Thursday, and we reiterated our willingness to devote the necessary time and energy to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”