Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 8/11/18

Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo will meet again today with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer as part of their continued push to resolve remaining issues between the U.S. and Mexico in the NAFTA renegotiation.

Clock is ticking: Guajardo on Thursday remained tight-lipped about the likelihood that talks could wrap up by the end of the month, but said Mexico's negotiators are "doing [their] best to do it as fast as possible." Top U.S. and Mexican officials have been aiming to finish this month in order to get a deal signed by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto before he leaves office on Dec. 1.

President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Peña Nieto's teams "are on the same page about wanting to wrap this up before AMLO takes office. No new administration wants to handle a major trade [deal] renegotiation in its first months," a source close to the talks told MA.

Jesús Seade, López Obrador's pick to run the NAFTA talks for Mexico, has attended all of the meetings in recent weeks, and is openly optimistic that negotiations are headed in the right direction. "We're advancing very well. I don't have many fears," Seade said.

Canada remains on the sidelines: The Canadian negotiating team is expected to be in Washington next week, a source close to the talks said. But Guajardo said there are currently no dates for Ottawa officials to join him in Washington.

"We have to make sure that the U.S.-Mexico bilaterals are done," Guajardo said, adding that Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will "hopefully" join the discussions soon.