Nafta negotiations shift down a gear with eyes on US lobbyists

Mexico City

THE latest Nafta talks have proven far less dramatic than the fireworks of earlier rounds, though any deal remains far off as Mexico and Canada hold out hope the US will soften its demands.

The fifth round of talks, which began in Mexico City on Nov 15 and wraps up on Tuesday, is the first held without the top trade chiefs from the three countries. That allowed the respective teams to work on the challenge of updating the more mundane facets of the nearly 2,000-page North American Free Trade Agreement, which started in 1994 and is undergoing a major overhaul.

Progress was slow over the weekend. While hundreds of hours of talks are unfolding on issues ranging from car manufacturing to telecommunications, negotiators have punted decisions on the most divisive issues to future rounds. The three countries in October extended t…