Ministers of the G10, a group of food importing members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on Tuesday urged WTO members to engage in further negotiations of agriculture at the upcoming Hong Kong ministerial meeting.

The G10 elaborated their determination to draft a mutually acceptable "roadmap" or modalities in order to successfully conclude the Doha Round trade talks by the end of 2006, it said.

The Doha Round, which aims to reduce barriers to trade and spur economic growth in developing countries, bogged down in a deadlock over farm subsidies and tariffs.

"The ministers underscore the necessity to ensure the inclusiveness and transparency of the negotiations," the group told a briefing on the sidelines of the Sixth Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong.

It also urged WTO's 149 members to focus their discussions on the "structural elements" of the three pillars of farm reform talks, namely export subsidies, domestic support and market access.

Some 5,800 delegates from WTO's 149 members and 2,100 representatives from non-governmental organizations will attend the Dec. 13-18 meeting.

The G10 includes major food importers such as Iceland, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Norway, Switzerland.

Source: Xinhua