European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed here on Sunday the start of the WTO ministerial meeting in Geneva, urging other World Trade Organization (WTO) partners to contribute for a deal.
"This is a great opportunity, and perhaps the last great opportunity, to take the decisive step towards conclusion of the Doha Round," he said in a statement.
Pledging that the European Union would continue to push for a successful result for all the global players, he warned "For these negotiations to succeed, the other developed countries and the emerging economies in the WTO also have to make a major contribution. The overall result has to be balanced and ambitious."
"Europe cannot be the sole banker of this deal. Moreover, Doha is not just about agriculture -- we also need to make progress on industrial tariffs, and in other areas of the negotiations such as services and geographical indications," Barroso said.
"The Round can and must succeed, but there is a lot of work to do -- on all sides," he urged.
Trade ministers of WTO members kicked off talks of the Doha round, launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, in Geneva on Sunday night.
Rift over the agricultural subsidies of developed countries will dominate the meeting.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson was made a lame-duck in the talks for a deal as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has strongly opposed to curb agricultural subsidies for forging an agreement.
France has enjoyed high subsidies in agriculture.
Source:Xinhua
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