LONDON, Dhu-AlQa'dah 21, 1438, August 13, 2017, SPA -- Britain needs a transition period to soften its exit from the European Union, but it cannot be used to stop Brexit, two senior British ministers said on Saturday, according to Reuters. "We believe a time-limited interim period will be important to further our national interest and give business greater certainty - but it cannot be indefinite; it cannot be a back door to staying in the EU," finance minister Philip Hammond and trade minister Liam Fox wrote in a joint article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. Fox is one of the government's most pro-Brexit ministers, and Hammond an outspoken pro-European, so that the joint letter represents an important agreement between two opposing factions within Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet. --SPA 00:36 LOCAL TIME 21:36 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w464883