No Nafta breakthrough, US timeline could be in doubt

Brief statement from US trade representative’s office calls talks positive

The United States, Mexico and Canada still have to resolve major issues around Nafta, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday, casting doubt that the quick deal sought by Washington would materialise.

Freeland met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo for several hours on Friday but made clear there was a lack of consensus on the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).

“We had some constructive conversations both yesterday and today ... and that intensive pace of work, which has been happening over the last couple of weeks, will continue in the days to come,” she told reporters outside the Washington building where the talks took place. “We are going to keep on working until we get a good deal,” she added.

Seeking deal outlines

Lighthizer, citing the need to reach an agreement before the Mexican presidential election on July 1, says he wants the outlines of a deal soon to update the agreement. A brief statement from Lighthizer’s office said the talks had been positive and added that “we will continue working to achieve an agreement that benefits our three countries”.

Mexico’s economy ministry said the parties agreed on Friday that their negotiating teams should press on with technical work and try to find “the balance that enables the process to move forward in its entirety”.