Trade ministers of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members wrapped up a three-day conference on Wednesday with on breakthrough on the long-stalled Doha Round.
"Ministers reaffirmed the need to conclude the (Doha) Round in 2010 and for a stock-taking exercise to take place in the first quarter of next year," Chilean Finance Minister Andres Velasco, who chaired the conference, said in a summary.
Velasco said there was strong convergence on the importance of trade and the Doha Round to economic recovery and poverty alleviation in
developing countries.
The ministerial conference, which is the WTO's highest decision- making body, took place as the global trade is in its worst contraction since the 1930s this year, due to the financial and economic crisis.
Ministers were asked to have a wide-ranging review of the WTO's whole activity and reflect on how to boost trade in stimulating economic recovery.
Although WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said ahead of the conference that it was not a negotiation session for the Doha Round, the deadlocked trade negotiations remained the focus.
Launched in 2001 as a development round, the Doha Round has been deadlocked in the past eight years due to differences between developed and
developing countries over access to agricultural and non-agricultural markets. "The development dimension should remain central to the Round and
particular attention should be paid to issues of importance to developing countries," he said.
Political leaders now aim to finish the negotiations by 2010, though several previous deadlines had been missed.
Despite repeating an uninsured deadline and planning to hold a further assessment meeting at an unknown level, WTO members remained divided on
substantial issues, with hard bargaining lying ahead.