Minister stays in Washington for talks

WASHINGTON — With the NAFTA talks at a critical juncture, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is changing her travel plans and staying in the U.S. capital.

Freeland had been scheduled to fly to Brussels today for the start of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which was to feature an encounter with newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Instead she got a phone call from Pompeo as he left Washington on Thursday and Freeland remained in the U.S. for the marathon round aimed at getting a new continental trade deal.

“Very unfortunately, I have decided that I will not be able to attend the NATO meeting,” Freeland told reporters as she entered the U.S. trade building. “I think it’s important for us to keep on working at this.”

Her parliamentary secretary Omar Alghabra is travelling to Brussels.

There are still numerous differences at the NAFTA negotiating table, notwithstanding several positive signals, and an all-out push to get an agreement by Tuesday, when U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs take effect and the U.S. trade czar expects to head to China.

One Canadian briefed on the talks says there are gulfs over a U.S. push to introduce a so-called sunset clause in the agreement and cancel the Chapter 19 dispute-settlement system.