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Thursday 17 augusT 2017

US demands big NAFTA changes, setting stage for tough talks

By PAUL WISEMAN Spalding, said that chang-
AP Economics Writer ing NAFTA’s “rules of ori-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The gin” to promote Made-in-
United States won’t settle the-USA products would
for cosmetic changes to prove “complicated” and
the North American Free risk disrupting the intricate
Trade Agreement, the top supply chains that manu-
U.S. trade negotiator said, facturers have built across
as negotiations to rework NAFTA borders.
terms of the pact began. Lighthizer’s comments
President Donald Trump suggest the negotiations
has called the 23-year-old could prove contentious.
trade pact the “worst” in The Canadian and Mexi-
history and vowed to fix it can negotiators defend-
— or withdraw from it. ed NAFTA as an economic
On the first of five days of success story, though they
talks, U.S. Trade Rep. Rob- say it needs to be updated
ert Lighthizer said Wednes- to reflect economic and
day that Trump “is not in- technological changes.
terested in a mere tweak- NAFTA critic Lori Wallach,
ing of a few provisions director of Public Citizen’s
and an updating of a few Global Trade Watch, said
chapters. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, left, shakes hands with Canadian Foreign Affairs Lighthizer’s tough talk rais-
We believe NAFTA has fun- Minister Chrystia Freeland, accompanied by Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo es the possibility that the
damentally failed many, Villarreal, after they spoke at a news conference, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, at the start of NAFTA United States will pull out
many Americans and renegotiations in Washington. of NAFTA if it can’t get the
needs major improve- (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) deal it wants.
ment.” the agreement encour- lost their jobs because of products contain more “He doesn’t bluff,” she
NAFTA did away with most aged manufacturers to the way NAFTA rerouted content made within the said.
barriers, including tariffs, move south of the border commerce. trade bloc and specifically “It was a message to Mex-
on trade between the U.S., to take advantage of low- The U.S. trade represen- in the United States. ico and Canada: ‘We
Canada and Mexico. er-wage Mexican labor. tative said he wanted to But Stephen Orava, part- hope we can reach a
The Trump administration Lighthizer said that at least change the pact to re- ner and head of the trade deal, but we aren’t play-
and other NAFTA critics say 700,000 Americans have quire that duty-free NAFTA law practice at King & ing.’ “q

Military leaders speak out against racism, extremism

By ROBERT BURNS Navy to be the safest pos-
AP National Security Writer sible place — a team as
WASHINGTON (AP) — strong and tough as we
Leaders of the four major can be, saving violence
U.S. military services have only for our enemies.”
spoken out against rac- Richardson’s spokesman,
ism and extremism after Cmdr. Chris Servello, said
last weekend’s violence in Wednesday the state-
Charlottesville, Virginia. ment was “motivated
Their comments on Twit- solely by the shameful and
ter and in longer written unacceptable events that
statements made no men- occurred in Charlottesville
tion of President Donald — period.”
Trump’s responses to the Other service chiefs fol-
incident. lowed Richardson but
Military officers are trained did not explicitly mention
to avoid politics. They tra- Charlottesville.
ditionally see it as their On Tuesday, Gen. Robert
duty to emphasize to Neller, commandant of
troops core values such as the Marine Corps, wrote
racial equality and toler- on Twitter: “No place for
ance. The man accused racial hatred or extrem-
of ramming his car into Defense Secretary Jim Mattis answers a reporter’s question about North Korea, before a meeting ism in @USMC. Our core
a crowd of counterpro- with Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. values of Honor, Courage,
testers, killing 32-year-old (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) and Commitment frame
Heather Heyer, had enlist- The Navy’s top officer, ceptable and mustn’t be killed and injured, and to the way Marines live and
ed in the Army and began Adm. John Richardson, tolerated.” all those trying to bring act.”
basic training in 2015 but was the first of the military In a fuller version of his peace back to the com- Gen. Mark Milley, the Army
was released from active chiefs to respond to Satur- statement, Richardson munity,” Richardson wrote. chief of staff, then tweet-
duty four months later for day’s violence in Charlot- called the events “shame- “The Navy will forever ed on Wednesday: “The
what the Army described tesville. That evening he ful.” stand against intolerance Army doesn’t tolerate rac-
only as “a failure to meet took to Twitter to say the “Our thoughts and prayers and hatred. For those on ism, extremism, or hatred
training standards.” events there were “unac- go to those who were our team, we want our in our ranks. q