Doha trade talks' wrapped up by end of the year'

Leaders of the G8 are hopeful that the stalled Doha round of global trade talks could be wrapped up by the end of the year, according to the United States delegation.

In a statement released on the final day of the summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, the White House said the G8 had called on members of the World Trade Organisation to show flexibility to resume the talks and find common ground.

“The G8 called on all WTO members to demonstrate the flexibility needed to conclude the negotiations by the end of 2007 and reiterated the importance of trade capacity building in helping developing countries best take advantage of new opportunities resulting from trade liberalisation,” the White House said in a statement.

British prime minister Tony Blair said the Doha talks were a major issue during the final day of the summit.

“We had a significant discussion over lunch, and I don’t think it is dead,” he said. “The sides are quite close now.”

The Doha talks have been nearly dormant since last year while nations have argued over industrial and agriculture tariffs and farm subsidies.