Obama won't re-open NAFTA talks (Ron Kirk)

Brian Knowlton of he New York Times offers "In Shift, Obama Doesn’t Plan to Reopen Nafta Talks" (link), which shouldn't come as much of a surprise to those who've been following the Obama NAFTA issue, especially when Obama admitted being deceptive about what he actually supports. From the article:

The Obama administration said on Monday that it had no plans to reopen negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement to revise its labor and environmental provisions, as then-Senator Barack Obama promised to do during his presidential campaign.

"The president has said we will look at all of our options, but I think they can be addressed without having to reopen the agreement," said Ronald Kirk, the United States trade representative.

According to Kirk, Obama, Felipe Calderon, and Stephen Harper "are all of the mind we should look for opportunities to strengthen Nafta." The Obama administration may be conducting a review, but they aren't looking to re-open it in order to add the labor and environmental protections that some of those on the left want. Also:

Mr. Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, who is known as a strong advocate of free trade, said that the administration also planned rapid reviews of pending agreements with Colombia and Panama.

Mon, 04/20/2009 - 13:06 · · Importance: 4