Lopez Obrador’s Nafta Negotiator Hopes for Deal in Next ‘Couple of Months’

The economist tapped by Mexico’s leftist presidential front-runner to lead Nafta talks if he wins Sunday’s election hopes that a deal can be reached within a couple of months and said the candidate’s team fundamentally agrees with the nation’s current negotiating positions.

Jesus Seade, an academic and former top official at the World Trade Organization, said Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo and his team have done a good job advocating for the country’s interests. Seade, who spoke Tuesday in an interview in Mexico City, said he met with Lopez Obrador for more than two hours last Thursday at a campaign event in Aguascalientes and on a flight returning to the capital, discussing the candidate’s Nafta views, economics and development.