OTTAWA, Ontario _ NAFTA talks have probably missed the latest in a string of deadlines, leaving all eyes on the U.S. over what will happen next.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland met Thursday in Washington, negotiating while a prominent Canadian union leader stood outside and sounded the alarm over deal-breaker issues. Thursday was considered by some to be the deadline to get a deal to satisfy a target the U.S. has been shooting for.
No agreement was reached.
"We discussed some tough issues today, the atmosphere continues to be constructive, and we continue to work hard towards a deal," Freeland told reporters. She was asked whether they were making progress, and replied: "I chose my words carefully: today we discussed some tough issues, the conversation was constructive."
The two countries remain in a phase of continuous negotiation, Freeland said, amid a crowded calendar: She will be in Montreal for a meeting with foreign ministers Friday, and in New York next week for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. She didn't say when she'd next meet Lighthizer and brushed aside questions of deadlines by saying her only goal is getting a good deal: "We continue to be guided by that single metric."
