Defining "temporary" nature of backstop key to Brexit deal - UK's Hunt

BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The key to securing a Brexit deal the British government can get through parliament is to define more precisely the "temporary" nature of the Irish backstop, British Foreign Secretary Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday.

The backstop, an arrangement to avoid a hard border between European Union member Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) and British-ruled Northern Ireland after Brexit, has become the main point of contention in the proposed Brexit deal.

Hunt told a news conference after meeting Germany's foreign minister: "The current text uses the word 'temporary' to describe the backstop, so what we need to do is put some flesh on the bone of what temporary actually means."

"I think ... with political will and conviction we can find a way to solve that problem," he added. (Writing by Paul Carrel Editing by Michelle Martin)