The European Union's lead negotiator in trade talks with the United States is downplaying an assertion from the German economy minister that negotiations on the proposed pact have failed.
When asked yesterday by The Associated Press whether the claims were true, chief EU negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero said: "No, no. Remember what Mark Twain said."
Twain once quipped that reports of his death were an exaggeration. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany's vice chancellor, said Sunday: "In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it." Gabriel noted that in 14 rounds of talks on the massive trans-Atlantic pact, the two sides haven't agreed on a single common item out of 27 chapters being discussed.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.