The next round of WTO talks, predicted to be held in September or at least October this year. "We want it sooner of course. But so far, there has not been any signal for that," Indonesian key negotiator for WTO talks and trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu told Xinhua on Tuesday.
"The exact time for next round of WTO talks has not been decided," she said after meeting with business people of the Indonesian chamber of commerce and industry (Kadin).
Pangestu told Kadin that she needed to make known to the public about the results of WTO talks in Geneva last July.
"We spent nine and half days, and I could hardly have time for a rest during the meeting. Even during the break time, I still communicated with NGOs and mass media to update the latest result in every session of the meeting," she told the audience of Kadin's meeting and participants of a WTO seminar.
On the ninth day of the meeting, Pangestu said she had a talk privately with the head of WTO, Pascal Lamy. "He was obviously unhappy with the deadlock, and I could see tears on his cheek," she said.
There has been a seven-year deadlock in the Doha Round or the so-called development agenda, with several meetings on the WTO's exclusive decision making process that involves only a limited number of countries.
And an attempt in Geneva's meeting was expected to be a new round of WTO talks which would break apart the previous jam in Doha. "But the result was still unsatisfying, perhaps. Although I never say that it failed, we still need to continue for the deal," she said.
Source:Xinhua
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