Obama talks on Pacific trade with top Republican opponents

President Barack Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, during a ceremony marking the 7th anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. AP Photo

WASHINGTON, United States—President Barack Obama lunched with the enemy Tuesday, hosting Republican Congressional leaders to find an elusive sliver of common ground in his final White House year.

Obama had sit-down talks with newly installed House Speaker Paul Ryan and veteran Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Oval Office, before holding a private lunch with Ryan.

How much Obama can achieve in this election year—from passing a Pacific trade deal to closing Guantanamo—will depend on the unlikely cooperation of the Republican-controlled Congress.

“The president spent some time highlighting five of the priorities that he’s hopeful that we can work with Congress on this year,” said spokesman Josh Earnest.

Discussions centered on efforts to ratify the vast trans-Pacific trade deal to be signed in New Zealand this week, Puerto Rico’s financial crisis, securing funding for cancer research and tackling the surge in opioid use.

READ: US eyes food exports to growing Asia under TPP trade pact

The trio also discussed efforts to reform America’s criminal justice system, which has delivered both high rates of violent crime and the world’s largest prison population.

McConnell described a “potpourri of discussions about a variety of different issues,” and refused to commit to holding a vote on the Pacific trade deal before the November election.

“I have some problems with the agreement,” he said, “it’s my advice that we not pursue that, certainly before the election.”

Ratifying the agreement would give Obama major foreign policy win, something Republicans are loath to do.

“The leaders also discussed a number of concerns that lawmakers have raised about the substance of TPP that must still be addressed,” said Ryan.

READ: Sparks fly as US fight over trade deal begins

Amid the legislative uncertainty, Obama will have to reassure South East Asian leaders that the deal will go ahead when he hosts them in California this month.

The issue is also being closely watched by European capitals.

Ratification of the Pacific agreement is seen as a necessary move before talks on a vast EU-US trade deal can conclude.