Top US NAFTA negotiator sees no problem with pace of talks

OTTAWA: The top US negotiator at talks to modernise the NAFTA trade pact dismissed questions about why his team had so far failed to produce specific proposals on key issues, saying “I don’t see a problem.”

Officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada are in Ottawa for the third of seven planned rounds of talks.

The US delegation has yet to unveil its precise position on several points, prompting concerns the process to update the 1994 pact could drag on beyond the scheduled endDecember finish.

“We’ve been working very hard so I don’t see a problem,” John Melle told reporters when pressed on the matter. “We’re moving across the board, so it’s very ambitious.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier predicted some tough days ahead for negotiators and declined to say whether he thought the talks could meet the deadline.

“The negotiations are still under way and of course there will be more difficult discussions in some cases than others,” he told a Toronto news conference.

He added: “The negotiations move forward at a certain pace and we respect that reality.”

US President Donald Trump, who frequently describes the treaty as a disaster, is threatening to walk away unless major changes are made.

Canada’s chief negotiator on Sunday said he did not expect the US side to present detailed proposals in Ottawa on major issues such as dispute settlement, the dairy sector and tougher rules for North American content on autos.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland later told reporters that the three sides had made ‘solid progress’ on topics such as electronic border forms and harmonization of regulations.

Pressed on the chances of finishing by the end of the year, she repeated earlier statements that “we want a good deal, not any deal”. Trade talks traditionally leave the toughest topics until the end, she added.

Canadian officials say it is still possible to meet the yearend deadline although they concede there are significant uncertainties about the timetable.

At his Toronto event, Trudeau repeated a promise to defend Canada’s system of tariffs and import restrictions designed to defend its dairy sector. The US industry dislikes the measures.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, the three top officials driving the talks, will meet in Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday, the last two days of the third round. — Reuters