Conclusion of Doha Round in 2010 'open question,' Lamy says

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy said Monday concluding the Doha global trade negotiations by 2010 is an "open question," painting a cautious view over whether the WTO members will be able to bridge gaps in their talks by then.

"There has been progress so far ... But whether the progress would lead to the
2010 conclusion (of the Doha Round) is an open question," Lamy told a press
conference on the sidelines of a forum in Seoul.
Lamy urged the WTO's 149 member states to show political will at home to close
gaps in the negotiations and produce a breakthrough by March next year to meet
the 2010 deadline.
"WTO members recognized the technical progress made in 2009, but they are also
conscious that closing the few gaps remaining on big ticket will only happen when
they enter in the end game," Lamy said. "And this will not occur unless they are
all ready for heavy political lifting at home."
At their latest summit in September in Pittsburgh, the leaders of the Group of 20
advanced and emerging nations agreed to complete the Doha Round of global trade
talks by 2010.
The deadline was set after the talks, which launched in 2001 with the aim of
lowering trade barriers, have been deadlocked several times over differences
between developing and developed nations over issues such as farm subsidies and
tariffs.
Last week, trade ministers from the WTO members failed to break an impasse in the
talks at their meeting in Geneva.
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