UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said he would not be rushed into renewing NAFTA and indicated it was possible the three member nations might fail to conclude a new pact.
The top U.S. negotiator on Tuesday complained Canada was not making enough concessions in bilateral talks to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement and said time was running out before Washington proceeded with a Mexico-only deal.
"We will keep working as long as it takes to get to the right deal for Canada," Trudeau told reporters when asked about the increasing U.S. pressure to wrap up the talks.
Asked about the challenges posed by a U.S. threat of auto tariffs, Trudeau said Canada would need to feel confident "about the path forward as we move forward - if we do - on a NAFTA 2.0."
Trudeau also said the tariffs that Trump imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum in late May would have to be scrapped before Canada felt comfortable signing a new NAFTA.
The Trump administration has said the text of an agreement between the three nations is needed by Sunday to allow the current Mexican government to sign it before it leaves office at the end of November.
(Reporting by David Lawder, writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Nick Zieminski)