Washington ? Canadian and U.S. officials said Tuesday they have reached a tentative deal to settle a long-running dispute over imports of Canadian softwood lumber used to build homes in the United States.

“There is a proposal that both governments have agreed to take back to their industries,” said Heather Layman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Commerce Department. She declined to give details.

Grant Aldonas, an undersecretary of Commerce who has led U.S. side in the confrontation, is expected to meet in Washington this week with Douglas Waddell, a Canadian assistant deputy minister of trade, to complete more details.

Negotiators agreed late last week after talks in Washington, officials from both countries said.

The two sides are reporting back to ministers and lumber industry leaders in the two countries before a final decision is made.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the draft agreement would reintroduce a quota system for Canadian lumber entering the United States, similar to an agreement reached during the 1990s.