At a regular morning news conference in Mexico City, Ebrard told reporters that it would be up to Mexico to decide to accept the proposed diplomatic attaches since countries decide whether to accredit foreign diplomats in their territory.
“The attaches are authorized by Mexico,” Ebrard said at the news conference. “No country can assign attaches in Mexico but us.”
Jesús Seade, Mexico’s lead negotiator for the accord that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement was in Washington Monday to reaffirm that Mexico would not accept the proposal that would allow U.S. representatives to inspect labor conditions in the country’s plants.
Seade said on Sunday that while most of the bill is in line with what is expected to complete the ratification, it also “adds the designation of up to five U.S. labor attaches in Mexico tasked with monitoring the implementation of the labor reform that is underway in our country.”
“This provision, the result of political decisions by Congress and the Administration in the United States, was not, for obvious reasons, consulted with Mexico,” said Seade. “And, of course, we disagree.”
The Associated Press is reporting that Seade is in Washington today to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. lawmakers to let them know how surprised and concerning the language introduced on Friday was to Mexico.
While Mr. Ebrard avoided using blunt language at the news conference, Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador suggested the U.S. move was sneaky. “That was not agreed to and this comes out in a clandestine way,” López Obrador said.
Ebrard appeared to be smoothing ruffled feathers, saying the U.S. government was just doing what was necessary to get the deal approved. He did add that even if the added provision stays, the attaches could never visit a plant without authorization of the Mexican government
Ebrard added that if the U.lS. does not remove the language, Mexico will not consult with the U.S. on its implementation legislation either. “We’re going to do the same.”
