World leaders signalled on Tuesday that a long-awaited world trade deal could be within reach, reviving some hopes that the Doha round of talks may finally move beyond years of deadlock and discord.
"Brazil will spare no effort for a successful conclusion of those negotiations, which must above all benefit the poorest countries," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told the United Nations General Assembly in New York. "What I can tell you is that we are closer to a breakthrough than ever before," he later told reporters.
The strong words of support from Lula, US President George W. Bush and Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath - some of the leading players in the World Trade Organisation's Doha round - came as negotiators report slow, steady progress in efforts to reach a real breakthrough.
The talks, which began in 2001 in Doha, Qatar, have been mired in acrimony over issues often pitting rich against poor nations and putting Washington on the defensive over generous farm supports.
Bush, also speaking at the United Nations, shared Lula's optimism that a "good Doha agreement" was within reach, but he squarely shifted much of the responsibility to other countries. "The world's largest trading nations, including major developing countries, have a special responsibility to make the tough political decisions to reduce trade barriers," he said.
One senior US trade official, speaking anonymously, described India's engagement in those talks as "constructive," a marked shift from recent months, when the two countries squared off over farm subsidies and Washington's demands for lower industrial tariffs in emerging economies.
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