World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy gestures before an informal session of the Trade Negotiation Committee at the WTO headquarters in Geneva July 21, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Key WTO members achieved no breakthrough in the Doha Round trade negotiations, after 12 hours of intensive work that ended early Thursday morning, WTO chief Pascal Lamy said.
"There is still no convergence yet," WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell quoted Lamy as saying in a briefing to WTO delegations.
Lamy urged the key members to continue their negotiations, which focused on agricultural trade and industrial tariffs, in the next 24 hours to ensure "every chance" for success.
Trade and agricultural ministers from the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, India and China worked overnight for a compromise on the major issues that have blocked the Doha Round of trade talks since its launch in 2001.
Rockwell said the overnight talks made some progress but wide differences remained. He refused to give details.
Earlier, some trade ministers participating in the negotiations also cited slight progress, but they all admitted that difficulties remain and work remains to be done before gaps could be bridged.
The Doha Round has missed repeated deadlines for conclusion in the past seven years, mainly due to differences on agricultural trade and industrial market access.
Trade and agricultural ministers from 35 major WTO members have been in Geneva since Monday, trying to break the long-term deadlock.
According to Lamy's arrangement, key WTO members should reach agreement first, and then their agreement would be sent for approval by the full WTO membership.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2008)
