Mexico says ready to quit talks with US if necessary

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January 24, 2017 6:52 PM

Asked whether the Mexican delegation would walk away from the negotiating table if the wall and remittances are an issue, Guajardo said: "Absolutely."

Mexico's economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo Villareal said his delegation would "absolutely" walk away from trade negotiations with the US if President Trump's border wall and remittances became problematic

Mexico could walk away from negotiations with US President Donald Trumps administration if its demands cross certain red lines, the economy minister said Tuesday.

During the US election, Trump vowed to make Mexico pay for a massive border wall and threatened to finance it by tapping into the $25 billion in remittances that Mexican migrants sent back home last year.

"There are very clear red lines that must be drawn from the start," Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told the Televisa network as he prepares to meet with US officials in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday.

Guajardo and Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray will hold the face-to-face talks with the new US administration ahead of a meeting between Trump and President Enrique Pena Nieto on January 31.

In addition to the wall, Trump wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

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