MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lamy optimistic about trade accord for 2007

World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy said in Paris that a global trade deal was possible in 2007 but it would need bigger efforts from the world's main players.

"There will be a new chance by the end of 2007" for an accord on the WTO's Doha round of world trade talks, he told a news conference, but added that he saw no sign yet that leading WTO member states were ready to adopt the sort of flexibility needed for a successful meeting of ministers.

"For the moment there is still a bit of work to do to get the ministers around the table". The five-year-old WTO talks over reducing global trade subsidies and barriers were halted in July after major powers clashed over politically sensitive issues, especially calls to dismantle agricultural protection.

Discussions restarted on a limited basis last month, with the various negotiating groups in Geneva revisiting technical matters, but Lamy has said a high-level political push would still be required for a breakthrough.

He called for "precise and simultaneous" efforts from trade powers before ministerial negotiations could begin. Regarding tariff cuts and farm subsidies Lamy said that Europeans, Americans and Japanese will have to move "from their last July positions" as they have admitted, but the question is how far they are willing to move.

Lamy added that he felt that resumption of multilateral contacts at ministerial level will not come from unilateral decisions from any of the main blocks, but rather "with parallel possibly simultaneous proposals".

WTO chief said that when the "accident" of last July, there had been significant advances in market access, "two or three times what had been achieved until then in the previous trade rounds".

"So far of the 42.195 kilometers of a marathon we can say we're in kilometer 35", but all which has been achieved will be lost if no final agreement is reached: "as long as we don't have an overall agreement, there's no agreement".

Finally Lamy had praise for China which this month celebrates its fifth year as a WTO member.

"They've become a trade elephant, such as the US or the EU and even when their delegates are not as exposed as those of the other blocks they are very efficient; the oriental negotiation is more geared towards results".