With the Montreal round of talks scheduled to end today ending on Monday, there was tentative optimism that North American trade negotiations would progress well. As Canada’s CTV News reported over the weekend, “the single biggest question looming over the current round of NAFTA negotiations was whether the talks might survive the phase where countries started seriously engaging each other on the more bedevilling sticking points.” It added that “Early signs point to: Yes.”
Glimmers of hope have emerged in a round viewed as a litmus test for whether these talks might move beyond an early stage marked by finger-pointing, standoffishness and threats of a U.S. withdrawal, and turn into real back-and-forth, give-and-take bargaining.
Several officials said the nearly completed week-long round in Montreal has been more constructive than gatherings of previous months, with countries diving into conversations about auto rules, dispute resolution, and a five-year review clause.
Negotiators closed a chapter on anti-corruption. They also plan to meet at future rounds in Mexico City and Washington over the next two months. And there’s hope it won’t be quite so hostile this time when the three politicians leading the process meet on Monday.
Unfortunately that optimism quickly fizzled moments ago following a Reuters headline that contrary to expectations, NAFTA countries won’t be issuing a joint statement after the Montreal round of talks ends today, a clear sign that negotiations are hardly progressing in a favorable, cooperative manner:
- NAFTA COUNTRIES WILL NOT ISSUE A JOINT STATEMENT FOLLOWING MONTREAL ROUND OF TALKS:
Stocks promptly slumped to session lows following the news, with NAFTA currencies getting hit.
via RSS http://ift.tt/2DZ3i2q Tyler Durden