<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/17/canada-positive-on-nafta-mexico-says-deal-possible-by-end-of-may.html" class="">https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/17/canada-positive-on-nafta-mexico-says-deal-possible-by-end-of-may.html</a></div><h1 class="title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 10px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 36px; line-height: 42px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r';">Canada 'positive' on NAFTA, Mexico says deal possible by end of May</h1><div id="article_deck" class="content" style="font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r'; font-size: 14px;"><div class="last group-container" style="width: 530px;"><div class="group"><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;" class=""><li style="margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;" class="">Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he felt "positive" about talks to rework the NAFTA trade pact, while a top Mexican official held out hope a deal could be hammered out by the end of May.</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;" class="">U.S. officials say the talks need to wrap up very soon to give the current Congress time to vote on a final text for a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement</li></ul></div></div></div><div class=""><div class="">REUTERS</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">Canadian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105059972" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Justin Trudeau</a> on Thursday said he felt "positive" about talks to rework the NAFTA trade pact, while a top Mexican official held out hope a deal could be hammered out by the end of May.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">U.S. officials say the talks need to wrap up very soon to give the current Congress time to vote on a final text for a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"We've worked with them (the Americans) on a whole bunch of issues, including this morning in Washington where we have some of our top folks continuing the conversations. To be honest, we are down to a point where there is a good deal on the table," Trudeau told the Economic Club of New York.</p><div id="inline_movable_ad" style="color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class=""></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"It's right down to the last conversations ... I'm feeling positive about this, but it won't be done until it's done and people are working very, very hard on it right now," he added.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class=""><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105059887" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Mexico</a>'s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said a deal could be reached by the end of May, but added that if no agreement is reached the talks could extend beyond the July 1 Mexican presidential election.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"If the conditions are defined by next week, nothing stands in the way of closing a deal by the end of May," said Guajardo.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">He added that his technical negotiating team is in Washington but there is no date set for the next NAFTA ministerial meeting with the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/united-states/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">United States</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/canada/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Canada</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">U.S. House Speaker <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/paul-ryan/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Paul Ryan</a> had said that the Republican-controlled <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105056607" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Congress</a> would need to be notified of a new deal by Thursday to give lawmakers a chance to approve it before a newly elected Congress takes over in January.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">Ryan was asked at a regular weekly press briefing whether there was any wiggle room in the NAFTA approval timeline for Congress.</p><div class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">Canadian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105059972" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Justin Trudeau</a> on Thursday said he felt "positive" about talks to rework the NAFTA trade pact, while a top Mexican official held out hope a deal could be hammered out by the end of May.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">U.S. officials say the talks need to wrap up very soon to give the current Congress time to vote on a final text for a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"We've worked with them (the Americans) on a whole bunch of issues, including this morning in Washington where we have some of our top folks continuing the conversations. To be honest, we are down to a point where there is a good deal on the table," Trudeau told the Economic Club of New York.</p><div id="inline_movable_ad" style="color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class=""></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"It's right down to the last conversations ... I'm feeling positive about this, but it won't be done until it's done and people are working very, very hard on it right now," he added.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class=""><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105059887" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Mexico</a>'s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said a deal could be reached by the end of May, but added that if no agreement is reached the talks could extend beyond the July 1 Mexican presidential election.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">"If the conditions are defined by next week, nothing stands in the way of closing a deal by the end of May," said Guajardo.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">He added that his technical negotiating team is in Washington but there is no date set for the next NAFTA ministerial meeting with the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/united-states/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">United States</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/canada/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Canada</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">U.S. House Speaker <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/paul-ryan/" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Paul Ryan</a> had said that the Republican-controlled <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/105056607" style="color: rgb(32, 119, 182); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 5r';" class="">Congress</a> would need to be notified of a new deal by Thursday to give lawmakers a chance to approve it before a newly elected Congress takes over in January.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(66, 72, 88); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm 4r', Arial; font-size: 16px;" class="">Ryan was asked at a regular weekly press briefing whether there was any wiggle room in the NAFTA approval timeline for Congress.</p></div></div></div></body></html>