US President Donald Trump says that the United States has reached a deal with Mexico over a surge of migrants on their common border, thereby cancelling tariffs against Mexico City.
Trump made the announcement Friday on Twitter following three days of talks between US and Mexican officials in Washington.
A Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard arrived in the US on Wednesday to hold negotiations with US officials at a meeting hosted by Vice President Mike Pence.
The Trump administration had planned to slap new tariffs on Mexico to pressure the country to crack down on the rising numbers of migrants entering the US.
Marc Short, chief of staff to Pence, also said that Washington was moving ahead with a legal notification of the tariffs. “You should anticipate that happening today,” he said at the White House Friday.
However, Trump said later in the day that the US and Mexico might reach a deal.
“If we are able to make the deal with Mexico, & there is a good chance that we will, they will begin purchasing Farm & Agricultural products at very high levels, starting immediately,” he said on Twitter, adding, “If we are unable to make the deal, Mexico will begin paying Tariffs at the 5% level on Monday!”
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also told reporters in Mexico City that “it’s a good sign that talks have not broken down.”
“There is dialogue and an agreement can be reached. I’m optimistic we can achieve that,” Lopez Obrador said.
However, he noted that it was a mistake for Washington to link migration with trade.
Finally, the US president announced on Twitter that the two sides had reached a deal on the last day of their talks.
Republican leaders in the Senate had previously pressed the Trump administration to negotiate a solution with Mexican officials and said the president could face a congressional blockade if he goes through with the levies.
The tariffs previously set to start on June 10 were supposed to increase monthly until reaching 25 percent in October.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/11505
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