Brexit referendum: EU ministers press UK for quick exit

EU states have urged Britain to hold speedy talks on leaving the bloc after it voted to end its membership in a historic referendum.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiations should begin as "soon as possible".
He made the comments after an urgent meeting of the six EU founder members to discuss the decision.
British PM David Cameron has said he will step down by October to allow his successor to conduct talks.

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The six countries attending the summit in Berlin - Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - first joined forces in the 1950s and still form the core of the EU.
"We say here together, this process should get under way as soon as possible so that we are not left in limbo but rather can concentrate on the future of Europe," Mr Steinmeier said.
His Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders said the continent could not accept a political vacuum, saying "this will not be business as usual".
Meanwhile on negotiations, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "It shouldn't take forever, that's right, but I would not fight for a short time frame".
In other developments:

• Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she will seek "immediate discussions" with Brussels to "protect Scotland's place in the EU"
• A petition calling for a second referendum on UK's membership of the EU has gained more than one million signatures
• There are warnings British financial institutions could lose their prized access to the EU if the UK leaves the common market
• Britain's European Commissioner, Lord Hill, who oversees financial services, sis resigning

The first summit of EU leaders with no British representation will be held on Wednesday, a day after Mr Cameron holds talks with members.
Global stock markets and the pound fell heavily on the news of the so-called "Brexit", while credit rating agency Moody's cut the UK's outlook to "negative".

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Media captionJean-Claude Juncker: "British made it crystal clear they want to leave"

The UK must now invoke Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty, which then allows for two years for withdrawal to be negotiated.
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU-UK split was "not an amicable divorce", but nor had they had a "deep love affair". He has also said exit negotiations should begin immediately.
"Britons decided yesterday [Thursday] that they want to leave the European Union, so it doesn't make any sense to wait until October to try to negotiate the terms of their departure," Mr Juncker said in an interview with Germany's ARD television network