WTO ministers could meet here on Dec.13-14 to make another attempt for a breakthrough in the Doha Round trade liberalization talks, trade sources said on Wednesday.
In a fax sent to all 153 members of the trade body, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy has indicated that the meeting could take place during those three days, but a final decision has not been made yet, said the sources.
The previous WTO ministerial meeting fell apart in July due to sharp differences on a mechanism to protect poor farmers from a sharp surge in imports.
Four months passing by, WTO members are still divided on this major issue. And there are also differences on other delicate issues such as sensitive products in agriculture as well as sectorals and preference erosion in industrial market access.
In the fax to WTO members, Lamy admitted that "a number of outstanding issues" remain to be resolved, and a new ministerial meeting might not be able to reach the expected target - agreeing on the so-called modalities for agriculture and NAMA (non-agricultural market access).
But "although there remains the risk of failure, the risks involved in not trying are higher," he said.
A Doha Round breakthrough is widely seen as very important for the world economy, given the current global financial crisis.
Source:Xinhua
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