Trade deal with US by Nov deadline possible: Goyal

THERE IS “EVERY possibility” of conclusion of the much-staggered trade talks with the US by the November deadline, and discussions are going on at multiple levels for it, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

- MUKESH JAGOTA

He, however, added that the next round of “direct talks,” their mode and the location will have to be seen in view of the shutdown of the government in the US. “We will let you know soon what is being planned to take the talks forward,” he told reporters here.

The US government stopped working at midnight on October 1 because the Congress failed to pass a Democrats-backed healthcare funding Bill.

When India and the US decided to negotiate their bilateral trade agreement (BTA) in February, they set a deadline of fall of this year to conclude its first tranche.