|
The United States, Canada and Mexico wrapped up their first
round of talks on Sunday to revamp the trade pact with little
sign of a breakthrough coming. Trump reopened negotiations of
the 1994 treaty out of concern U.S. economic interests were
suffering.
"Personally, I don't think we can make a deal. I think we’ll
probably end up terminating NAFTA at some point," Trump said at
a political rally in Phoenix, Arizona.
Suggesting a termination might help jumpstart the negotiations,
Trump said: "I personally don’t think you can make a deal
without a termination."
Following Trump's remarks, Mexican foreign minister Luis
Videgaray tweeted: "No surprises: we're already in a
negotiation. Mexico will remain at the table with serenity,
firmness and with the national interest ahead."
In a joint statement issued at the end of five days of
negotiations in Washington, the top trade officials from the
three countries said Mexico would host the next round of talks
from Sept. 1 to 5.
The talks will move to Canada later in September, then return to
the United States in October, with additional rounds planned for
later this year.
(Reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and Dave Graham in
Mexico City; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
