Trump intends to sign Mexico deal in 90 days, official says

Trump intends to sign Mexico deal in 90 days, official says

President Donald Trump has notified Congress that he plans to sign a trade agreement with Mexico — and Canada, if it is willing — in 90 days, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.

Mr Lighthizer made the announcement in a statement after high-stakes talks that the Trump administration and Canadian officials have been holding in Washington broke up on Friday afternoon without a deal.

Mr Lighthizer said the talks will resume on Wednesday.

The talks are intended to bring Canada into a new trade accord that would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The flurry of events followed a preliminary agreement that the United States and Mexico reached on Monday to replace Nafta with an arrangement that is intended, among other things, to shift more vehicle manufacturing to the United States.

The Trump administration had insisted that it wanted a deal by Friday, beginning a 90-day countdown that would let Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto sign the pact before leaving office on December 1.

But under US trade rules, the US team would not have to make public the text of the revamped agreement for 30 additional days, possibly buying more time to reach a deal with the Canadians.

Mr Lighthizer’s statement on Friday said President Trump intends to sign a new trade deal with Mexico, whether or not Canada is part of it.

Earlier on Friday, President Trump was quoted as saying privately that he would not make compromises with Canada in their trade talks.

His remarks raised doubts about whether the two countries could quickly reach a deal to keep Canada in the 24-year-old trading bloc, along with the United States and Mexico.

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