Trade talks suffer setback as French claim proposed deal is unacceptable

PROSPECTS for a deal at the world trade talks suffered a setback yesterday when France warned that the current proposals were not acceptable.

A war of words also broke out in Geneva between the US, India and China over farm and industrial goods trade. But the World Trade Organisation said there had been enormous convergence in the last few days and what was on the table was very substantial.

It also said that its director general Pascal Lamy was tabling a new compromised text to push for a deal.