New round of talks agreed on world trade deal

Six of the top trade representatives of the World Trade Organisation have proposed to complete negotiations on a treaty to liberalise global commerce by the end of the year, a joint statement in India said.

The WTO’s Doha round of negotiations, named after the capital of Qatar where the talks began in 2001, have been stalled over rich nations’ refusal to slash farm subsidies – and poor countries’ reluctance to grant greater access to their markets.