U.S., Mexico set to unveil two-way deal on NAFTA

The United States and Mexico will announce a two-way deal on NAFTA Monday, clearing the way for Canada to return to the table to try to reach a final updated agreement in the coming days, according to a source close to the negotiations. The development follows months of stalemate and comes just over a year after negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada first sat down to discuss modernizing the 24-year-old trade pact. Despite the progress between the U.S. and Mexico on issues that were widely seen as more integral to the U.S.-Mexico relationship, it remains unclear how long it will take NAFTA negotiators to resolve the remaining issues between the three countries. Canada has not been at the negotiating table for more than two months. “A big deal looking good with Mexico!” President Donald Trump tweeted this morning. U.S. trade negotiators briefed congressional staff Monday on the details of the agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said Monday that there’s one U.S.-Mexico issue that remains to be fully resolved before all the talks between the two countries are complete. But he cautioned that Canada must still go over all the solutions that the U.S. and Mexico reached. Canada is expected to return to the negotiating table as soon as the two countries announce a breakthrough in the bilateral talks. “A lot of these things imply Canada. Therefore, until we finish with the position of Canada, we will not be able to disclose the elements,” Guajardo said. A NAFTA breakthrough between the U.S. and Mexico would be welcome news after more than a year of negotiations between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Last month, negotiators from the U.S. and Mexico made a renewed push to wrap up their two-way issues in the renegotiation, including the rules that govern how automobiles made in the North American region qualify for reduced tariffs under the trade pact. source: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/us-mexico-trade-deal-nafta-trump-administration-797464 #Headlines by: ABehsudi@politico.com (Adam Behsudi)

Original Post: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/us-mexico-trade-deal-nafta-trump-administration-797464