Mexico debate rages over 'opaque' talks with U.S. as Tillerson arrives

Source: Reuters

FEBRUARY 1, 2018 / 2:58 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Gabriel Stargardter

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States’ top diplomat arrives in Mexico on Thursday with debate raging over the government’s efforts to win favor with Washington and save the NAFTA trade pact from collapse, sparking concerns it is ceding sovereignty to its northern neighbor.

Mexico has been at pains to prove itself a good ally to the United States on combating drug trafficking and immigration, in hopes this would help efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a lynchpin for its export-led economy, in as favorable terms as possible.

Those secret efforts sprang into view this week, when Reuters exclusively reported that Mexico is considering allowing U.S. air marshals aboard commercial cross-border flights, igniting a debate over what lengths Mexico should go to in order to win favor with its top trade partner.

“The question is, what else is (Foreign Minister Luis) Videgaray giving to Trump and his collaborators in exchange for preserving NAFTA?” Salvador Garcia Soto asked in his El Universal newspaper column, decrying Videgaray’s “opaque” maneuvering.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-usa-tillerson/mexico-debate-rages-over-opaque-talks-with-u-s-as-tillerson-arrives-idUSKBN1FL6G9?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29&&rpc=401