NAFTA’S first round ends with vow of quick action

WASHINGTON — The U.S., Mexico and Canada ended the first round of talks on a new North American Free Trade Agreement saying they’re committed to concluding the negotiations quickly with a far-reaching deal.

“While a great deal of effort and negotiation will be required in the coming months, Canada, Mexico and the United States are committed to an accelerated and comprehensive negotiation process that will upgrade our agreement and establish 21st century standards to the benefit of our citizens,” the three countries said Sunday after five days of discussions in Washington.

The next round of talks is scheduled for Sept. 1-5 in Mexico, with talks moving to Canada in late September and back to the U.S. in October.

The joint statement reinforces the notion that the three nations are seeking a quick deal before politics overtakes the agenda next year. Mexico will hold a general election next July, while U.S. congressional midterm elections will be held in November 2018.

The opening round of NAFTA talks got off to a tense start last week, when U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer served notice that the U.S. wouldn’t accept a modest “tweaking” of a trade deal that President Donald Trump believes has failed Americans. While U.S. trade with its NAFTA partners has more than tripled since the agreement took effect in 1994, Trump blames the agreement for gutting U.S. manufacturing and sending factory jobs to Mexico.