World Bulletin / News Desk

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday warned British Prime Minister Theresa May that if she wanted a "hard Brexit," then negotiations on Britain leaving the EU will be hard too.

"I have said it very clearly; Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, then talks will be hard too," Hollande said as he arrived for an EU leaders' summit, May's first since Britain's shock June vote to quit the bloc.

"She has not yet triggered Article 50 (starting the negotiations) and so she is party to all the discussions," he said.

May said earlier this month she aimed to start the talks by the end of March, aiming to restore British control over immigration while retaining as much access as possible to the EU's massive internal market.

Arriving for the summit in Brussels, she insisted that Britain would play a full part in the European Union until it left.

"The UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we'll be a strong and dependable partner after we've left," she told reporters.

May was excluded from last month's informal summit of 27 leaders in Bratislava which agreed a first post-Britain roadmap for the bloc.