LONDON (AP) — Britain's foreign minister says his country can't rush other European Union nations into agreeing on the terms of a new deal for Britain at a meeting in Brussels next month.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Tuesday that Britain's desire for renegotiation is not "number one on the European agenda."

He told a House of Lords committee that "it is much more important to get the right deal than to get a quick deal" and "the EU has got a couple of other issues on its plate."

Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged a referendum by the end of 2017, and hopes to get it over with as early as this summer.

Hammond said a June referendum would be "much more difficult" if there's no deal at the Feb. 18-19 summit.