World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy urged Group of 20 leaders Monday to make a big push for the conclusion of the Doha round of global trade talks at their summit in November. The Doha round may be completed next year, he told reporters after talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Trade Minister Kim Jong-Hoon to discuss the agenda for the Seoul get-together.
Leaders of the world's 20 advanced and developing nations said in 2008 that they would reach agreement by the end of the same year on a broad outline of the final trade liberalisation deal. But the Doha talks remain mired in disagreements over tariff cuts and reductions to farm subsidies. G20 leaders had set a goal to wrap up the trade negotiations this year. "We all know that this will not happen before the end of this year," Lamy was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.