November Brexit summit possible but only if needed- French official

Britain and the European Union should make as much progress as possible in Brexit talks and aim to reach a deal in time for a leaders' summit in October, a French official said on Thursday.

While the official said Paris would support holding an additional Brexit summit in November if necessary, the person added it should not be set in stone.

Among the issues that must still be ironed out are plans for a future economic partnership because the two sides have failed so far to find a "landing point" for an agreement, the official told reporters at an informal EU leaders' summit in Austria.

"It is possible that an additional summit will be necessary. It mustn't be set in stone straight away because there is a European Council (leaders' summit) in October that should make the maximum progress possible and even ideally finish the withdrawal agreement," the official said.

Officials who attended a leaders' dinner on Wednesday evening said British Prime Minister Theresa May told her counterparts that she would make additional proposals on the so-called backstop solution on the status of Northern Ireland.

France, however, did not know what those proposals were or when they might come, the official said.