There won’t be any “artificial” deadline for the upcoming NAFTA renegotiations, United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday, adding the priority will be a “high-standard” agreement.

“I have seen reports that suggest we have a deadline. Let me assure the committee that we do not have a deadline. The only deadline we have is that we’re going to get a good agreement, one that is transformative and that is a very high-standard agreement,” Lighthizer told a U.S. Senate finance committee hearing on the president’s trade policy.

“There are people who have talked about this being done by the end of the year. That may happen. I don’t know. There are reasons related to other people’s electoral systems that might make that beneficial. But from my point of view, I don’t have any deadline,” he said, in reference to the Mexican general election in July 2018.

Lighthizer added that if there’s a “total stalemate” in the talks, which he said he expects to begin August 17, the Trump administration will decide on next steps with the committee.

“But from my point of view, we’re going to get a very good agreement. We’re going to do it as quickly as we can, but without any artificial deadline of the end of this year … I’m not going to be in a position where I’m going to commit to the status quo going on forever. That’s not going to happen. But we don’t have any artificial deadlines,” he said.

A number of senators on the committee urged Lighthizer to ‘do no harm’ in the negotiations while recommending priorities in the talks.

Republican committee Chairman Orrin Hatch stressed the need for ensuring strong intellectual property protections and sought assurances from Lighthizer that the USTR will target Canada and Mexico’s de minimis levels — the dollar value of goods that can enter a country before duties and sales taxes kick in.

Lighthizer said the U.S. has ‘intellectual property issues’ with Mexico and Canada and intends to bring back an agreement to the committee that satisfies them in the IP area.

“It’s a high priority — it’s, as you suggest, it’s not just patents — it’s copyright, it’s trademark, it’s across the board intellectual property protection,” he added.

“There are real differences in the three countries between the de minimus levels and, as you suggest, the United States has what is clearly the most modern, the most enlightened version. And that is something that I am aware of and that we will pursue…But the whole digital economy is something that we really have to address.”

Sherrod Brown, the Democratic senator from Ohio, raised another hot-button issue: NAFTA’s chapter 11 investor-state dispute settlement provisions.

Brown described chapter 11 as a “handout for the largest corporations in the world” which allows companies to challenge legitimate laws and regulations. He asked Lighthizer to commit to eliminating it from NAFTA.

“It’s an issue that is troubling to me…on a variety of levels. It’s a balancing act. Clearly our investors have a right to have their property protected. On the other hand, there are — in my judgement, at least — sovereignty issues,” he answered.

“I’m always troubled that non-elected, non-Americans can make a decision that a United States law is invalid. Just as a matter of principle, I find that offensive…I would not commit that we’re going to get rid of ISDS. I would certainly commit that I want to engage with this committee, and with the ways and means committee, and with others in congress to see what we can do to perhaps rebalance where we are in this situation where have two interests — both of which are valid.”

The USTR recently finished an open consultation on NAFTA, receiving more than 12,400 comments.

Lighthizer said his staff is busy reviewing and analyzing them to help formulate its negotiating positions.

The USTR will then hold several days of public hearings beginning on June 27.

A detailed summary of the USTR’s negotiating objectives will be published at least 30 days before the negotiations begin.