Mexico says Pacific trade talks could conclude by April

MEXICO CITY, Jan 17 (Reuters) - An ambitious trade pact being negotiated among Pacific Rim nations could be concluded as soon as April, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Friday.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would cover almost 40 percent of the global economy and create a free trade zone reaching from North America to Japan and New Zealand, and the United States is keen to wrap up talks in the coming months.

"We could be closing a deal" during the first four months of 2014, Guajardo told reporters in Mexico City.

The countries in the talks include the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Chile, Mexico and Peru.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Dave Graham and Chizu Nomiyama)

((dave.graham@thomsonreuters.com)(+52 1 55 5282 7146)(Reuters Messaging: dave.graham.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: MEXICO TRADE/TPP