Mexico opens way for NAFTA talks to run into 2018
Robert Lighthizer
“Staff are working at a pace that is unheard of (in trade negotiations) ... and any suggestion that we’re not operating beyond a normal pace is just flat wrong ” U.S. trade envoy Robert Lighthizer told reporters.
 Lighthizer  said Canada had “mentioned” the U.S. ruling during talks on Wednesday.
Asked whether the dispute could affect NAFTA talks   Lighthizer  told reporters: “I‘m not saying it doesn’t have an effect on relationships  it does  but not on this negotiation.”
 Lighthizer  said the United States would “hopefully” present draft text by the next round on the thorny issue of rules of origin  which outlines how much of a product needs to originate in a NAFTA country  and on a dispute settlement mechanism.
 Lighthizer  said the U.S. decision on Bombardier still had several stages to go through before it was finalized.
“There are several more stages  we don’t even know whether it is going to be successful  and in addition there are off-ramps in the litigation ”  he  said. “It’s too early to tell.”
 Freeland  has suggested that Canada could walk away from the NAFTA talks over the so-called Chapter 19 dispute mechanism  under which binational panels make binding decisions on complaints about illegal subsidies and dumping. The United States has frequently lost such cases.
“Staff are working at a pace that is unheard of (in trade negotiations) ... and any suggestion that we’re not operating beyond a normal pace is just flat wrong ” [TGT] told reporters.
 [TGT]said Canada had “mentioned” the U.S. ruling during talks on Wednesday.
Asked whether the dispute could affect NAFTA talks   Lighthizer  told reporters: “I‘m not saying it doesn’t have an effect on relationships  it does  but not on this negotiation.”
 [TGT]said the United States would “hopefully” present draft text by the next round on the thorny issue of rules of origin  which outlines how much of a product needs to originate in a NAFTA country  and on a dispute settlement mechanism.
 [TGT]said the U.S. decision on Bombardier still had several stages to go through before it was finalized.
“There are several more stages  we don’t even know whether it is going to be successful  and in addition there are off-ramps in the litigation ”  he  said. “It’s too early to tell.”
 Freeland  has suggested that Canada could walk away from the NAFTA talks over the so-called Chapter 19 dispute mechanism  under which binational panels make binding decisions on complaints about illegal subsidies and dumping. The United States has frequently lost such cases.