Mexico says deal with US on Nafta issues may be ‘hours’ away
Mexico’s economy minister says the North American Free Trade Agreement is close to a solution, however, a US spokesperson says ‘major issues’ still exist
Washington — Agreement between Mexico and the US on outstanding bilateral issues in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) could be just a few hours away, Mexican officials said on Wednesday."We hope we’ll have a solution in the next couple of hours, or the next couple of days," Mexican economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters before entering the offices of US trade representative Robert Lighthizer for Nafta talks. A spokesperson for Lighthizer’s office said there was no deal yet and that "major issues" are still outstanding.The Mexican peso rose against the dollar after Guajardo’s comments.Since restarting last month, the talks have focused on settling differences between Mexico and the US that go to the heart of US President Donald Trump’s complaint that Nafta has hollowed out US manufacturing to Mexico’s benefit.Trump has threatened to dump the 24-year-old accord if it is not reworked to the advantage of the US. He hopes to reduce the US trade def...
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