<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-08/ross-reiterates-u-s-threat-to-withdraw-from-nafta-amid-talks" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-08/ross-reiterates-u-s-threat-to-withdraw-from-nafta-amid-talks</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span class="lede-text-onlyhighlight"><span style="font-size: 45pt; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; background-color: white;" class="">Ross Reiterates U.S. Threat to Withdraw From Nafta</span></span><span style="font-size: 45pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></h1><address style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); font-style: normal;" class="">By <o:p class=""></o:p></span></address><address style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal;" class="">Andrew Mayeda<o:p class=""></o:p></span></address><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">September 8, 2017, 10:36 AM EDT</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 13.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">Commerce secretary says Trump clear about threat to pull out</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">Ross says U.S. will need to take stock of talks by end of year<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 22.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">The Trump administration reiterated its threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement if a new deal favorable to the U.S. can’t be reached with Mexico and Canada.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">“The president has made clear if they don’t work, he’s going to pull out,” Commerce Secretary <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/id/1414869" target="_blank" title="Billionaire Profile" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(60, 60, 60); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">Wilbur Ross</span></a> said Friday during an event at the Washington Post. “That shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, and really that’s the right thing. We need fixes to this deal. It has not worked the way it was intended.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">Ross’s remarks come just days after the three nations wrapped up their second round of negotiations on overhauling the 23-year-old accord, which governs more than $1.2 trillion in annual trade. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts struck an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-09-05/nafta-nations-convey-cooperative-tone-as-redo-talks-forge-ahead" target="_blank" title="Nafta Partners Tout Progress and Downplay Effect of Trump Threat" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(60, 60, 60); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">optimistic</span></a> tone after the round, highlighting that talks are moving forward, while adding that so far there have been no major breakthroughs.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">President <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/id/1252249" target="_blank" title="Billionaire Profile" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(60, 60, 60); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">Donald Trump</span></a> has repeatedly <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-08-31/trump-s-impatience-emerging-as-biggest-threat-to-nafta-agreement" target="_blank" title="Trump’s Impatience Emerging as Biggest Threat to Nafta Pact (2)" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(60, 60, 60); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">threatened</span></a> to pull the U.S. out of the deal entirely, even as negotiators work to come up with a new agreement.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 22.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">Ross said the “political calendar” will make it difficult to reach a deal beyond the end of this year. Mexico has a general election in July, while U.S. congressional midterm elections will take place in November 2018 and Canada has several provincial elections scheduled next year, he noted.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 22.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: inherit;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(60, 60, 60);" class="">“There’s no fine line magic date, but more or less by the end of the year is probably when we’re going to need to know where we are,” he said. The next negotiating session takes place Sept. 23-27 in Ottawa.</span></p></body></html>