US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross has indicated that the negotiations on the future of the North American free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will begin but that is unlikely to start until later this year. President Trump has been very critical of NAFTA, throughout the campaign and called it as one of the worst deal ever made. Mr. Ross said that real negotiations are unlikely to begin before the latter half of the year and he expects it to wrap up within a year.

However, that timeline is not suitable to Mexico as the uncertainties surrounding the deal continue to depress investments in the country. Mexico’s foreign minister Luis Videgaray said that he wants the talks to be wrapped up within this year. Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Videgaray has met several top officials in the Trump administration to push for a better timeline as well as a better deal. He has held conversations with senior White House Officials including the President’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and economic advisor Gary Cohn.

One of the major reasons for Mr. Videgaray for seeking the quicker wrap up has been the upcoming Mexican election, which would be held in July next year. It would be difficult for the current administration to campaign without any deal as it is sure to emerge as a game-changing factor in the election.