NAFTA talks break off, expected to resume next week


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The North American Free Trade Agreement talks have broken off for the weekend.


A source with knowledge of the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, said talks have ended for the day and will pick up next week.


More to come


This is a breaking news story, a previous version appears below


Donald Trump has admitted to making off-the-record remarks saying the U.S. is in total command of NAFTA talks and that it will make no compromises to reach a deal with Canada.


The Toronto Star reported Friday that Trump, in an interview with Bloomberg News, said the U.S. is unwilling to make concessions and that his position was “going to be so insulting they’re [Canada] not going to be able to make a deal.” CBC has not independently verified the comments.


Trump admitted on Twitter that he made the comments to Bloomberg on Friday, claiming an understanding with the news agency that his comments were off-the-record was “blatantly violated.”


“Oh well, just more dishonest reporting. I am used to it. At least Canada knows where I stand!” he tweeted.





Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is scheduled to hold a news conference at the Canadian embassy in Washington at 4:30 p.m. ET. CBCNews.ca will carry it live.


Canada had confronted U.S. negotiators about Trump’s comments as talks between Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, got underway in Washington.


Asked about the report, Freeland insisted Canada won’t cave to any demand, and that the government will defend the national interest in any NAFTA deal.


“We’re looking for a good deal, not just any deal. And we will only agree to a deal that is a good deal for Canada. We’re not there yet,” Freeland said Friday from Washington.


Freeland said she and Lighthizer have been working hard, and that progress has been made in the last year since both sides began with starting positions that were “very far apart.”


Trump claims total control


In the remarks published by the Star, Trump said any possible NAFTA deal would be “totally on our terms.” 


“Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” he reportedly said.


The Impala is assembled at the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ont.


Holding an event in that city today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated Freeland’s position when asked about Trump’s remarks.


Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to journalists outside the U.S. trade representative’s office in Washington on Friday. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)



“We’re going to remain constructive, positive, serious and creative about what we do around the negotiating table, in what we do in relation with the United States,” he said. “But we are also going to be unequivocal about always standing up for Canadians’ rights and Canadians’ interests.”


Sources tell CBC News that Chapter 19 of NAFTA, which contains a dispute resolution process that Canada is determined to keep and the U.S. wants to scrap, is the most challenging area in the talks, which are counting down under Trump’s self-imposed deadline of today.


U.S.-Mexico deal reached


The White House has said a deal with Canada must be reached by Friday, when it would send the Mexico agreement to Congress for a 90-day review required by law, but others have suggested negotiations could continue into September if necessary as long as a high-level agreement was reached in principle.


The Canadian delegation in Washington has signalled it would be willing to stay on to advance discussions.


Trump announced Monday that he and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreed on a new trade deal that he said could replace NAFTA. He has threatened to slap 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian-built cars if there is no NAFTA deal.






Article source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/chemical-weapons-watchdog-opcw-holds-emergency-conference-180626084237165.html


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