US keen to work with India to conclude Doha round by 2010

Chicago, Feb 20 (PTI) The US is keen to work with India
to conclude the Doha round of trade talks this year, a top
Obama administration official said here.
"Multilaterally, the US wants to work with India to bring
the Doha round to a balanced and ambitious conclusion in 2010.
Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma has made a concerted effort
to change the tone and substance of India's trade dialogue
with the US," Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
Assistant Secretary Robert Blake Jr said.
The Doha round of trade talks had begun in 2001 to open
global commerce.
He said the US thinks that developing countries like
India, China, Brazil and South Africa have a "game-changing
role" to play, particularly in accessing the least developed
countries.
"The April 2009 IMF economic outlook projects that 58 per
cent of the global economic growth between now and 2014 will
be provided by these developing countries and the US will
continue to urge India and other countries to act on that
potential," Blake said.
On strong trade ties between the two countries, he said
bilateral trade has more than doubled in last five years.
While, the economic downturn has resulted in a decline in
bilateral trade in 2009, "I think we will continue to see very
strong expansion in the trade area going forward."
Echoing US President Obama, who had referred to India as
an "indispensable nation", Blake said there is "bipartisan
support" in both the countries for stronger ties. MORE PTI