Canada PM to fly to Brussels October 17 in bid to seal EU trade deal

Reuters
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper waits for the start of the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa October 16, 2013. REUTERS/Blair Gable

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will fly to Brussels on Thursday in a bid to seal a free trade deal, Harper's office said on Wednesday. Talks on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement(CETA) deal with the European Union have dragged on for almost two years longer than planned amid a series of disagreements. "The Prime Minister will travel to Brussels to meet with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, with the goal of concluding the CETA negotiations," said the statement. Harper is due to fly out on Thursday and return on Friday. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)