We do have certain obligations under that provision. If any of the three parties intends to enter into negotiations with a non-market economy, they are to notify the other two parties of that intention. They're also obliged to provide details of the outcome of that negotiation, if they manage to complete it, and essentially keep the other two parties informed of the progress of the negotiation. If at the end of the day there is an agreement that is concluded, the other two parties could exercise their right to withdraw from NAFTA if they saw fit.
I want to emphasize that this is really no different from what exists right now. We would ordinarily inform trading partners such as the U.S. and Mexico if we were to enter into negotiations with another country, particularly a non-market economy. We would keep them informed. We have regular discussions with our trading partners, including the U.S. and Mexico, on our negotiations.
The right to withdraw from an agreement is a fundamental provision in every free trade agreement. All that the party has to do is to issue a six-month notice that it will withdraw from the agreement.
There's nothing new here. This was more of an issue of attaching further optics to the whole issue of negotiating with a non-market economy. That was a desire of the U.S. They wanted to bring some profile to that. Fundamentally, it does not change our rights; it does not change our ability to negotiate with other negotiating parties. I think this provision has been blown somewhat out of proportion.