Trade representatives from the United States and Mexico suggested Tuesday they won't block Canadian companies from exporting generic drugs to fight AIDS in developing countries.
But U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick and Fernando Canales, Mexico's secretary of the economy, told a news conference Canada must honour international trade rules as it implements the generic drug plan.
"We think it's a very fine step," Mr. Zoellick said following a meeting with Mr. Canales and Canadian International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew.
"We, of course, would expect that Canada as one of the framers of the rules would maintain the rules we agreed on," Mr. Zoellick said.
Mr. Canales said Mexico also shares Canada's concerns about the AIDS epidemic in developing countries.
Canadian officials have expressed concerns the plan could face delays if Mexico or the United States objects to the program under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
A World Trade Organization agreement reached in August that legalized certain exceptions to world patent laws provided the impetus for Ottawa's plan to allow generic drug exports. But the WTO agreement has not been copied into NAFTA.
The United States reluctantly signed the WTO deal and Mr. Zoellick gave conditional support to the Canadian initiative.
Mr. Pettigrew said he was pleased that Canada's drug initiative has the support of its NAFTA partners.
"I feel very good," Mr. Pettigrew told reporters. "I'm very grateful with the public support to the Canadian initiative."
Mr. Pettigrew met his U.S. and Mexican counterparts to mark the 10th anniversary of NAFTA which falls on Jan. 1, 2004.
