Doha trade accord can be done by 2010

By JONATHAN LYNN
September 7, 2009, 6:15pm

NEW DELHI, September 6 (Reuters) - A new global commerce deal is within reach if World Trade Organization members are willing to compromise to close the remaining gaps, trade ministers say.

But agreement in the WTO's stalled Doha round will require a sustained political push from presidents and prime ministers if the long-running talks are not to stall yet again, they say.

Ministers at a two-day meeting on ''re-energizing Doha'' last week, hosted by India, agreed that a deal could be done by the end of 2010, as urged and pledged by political leaders.

Whether it will be is another question.

''It all depends on one rather simple thing... It depends on all the players wishing to finalize. If they wish to finalize and they know how to do it, you can do it. There is no big complexity,'' said Brazil's foreign minister, Celso Amorim.

A deal in the Doha talks, now in their eighth year, would boost the battered world economy and ward off protectionism by cutting tariffs and subsidies on food like bananas and dairy produce, and industrial goods from cars and chemicals to clothes. It would also free up trade in many other areas.

But countries have squabbled repeatedly over what waivers would be allowed to protect sensitive sectors. Developing nations point to Doha's explicit development mandate, while rich countries say a deal must create new business opportunities.

Political leaders have called for the talks to end in 2010 but ministers say they need to keep up the pressure, notably at a September 24-25 G20 summit in Pittsburgh when ministers will report on the resumption of negotiations they set for September 14.