NAFTA Round 2

Negotiators for the United States, Canada and Mexico wrapped up their second round of discussions concerning renegotiation of the NAFTA. While the negotiators expressed pleasure at the progress made, by all accounts the talks provided no new breakthroughs. Apparently, new texts in certain areas were exchanged, but no progress was made on the difficult issues such as rules of origin, labor standards, investor state dispute settlement and Chapter 19 disputes. The next round of negotiations are scheduled for later this month in Ottawa, Canada. The multiple and frequent discussions are designed to meet an end of year deadline.