Despite the missed April 30 deadline, the Doha round of global trade liberalization talks could still be completed on schedule, Switzerland's chief trade negotiator said on Wednesday.

Luzius Wasescha, head of the Swiss mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), said he still believed the Doha round could be wrapped up by the end of 2006.

"I was born an optimist and I will die an optimist," he was quoted as saying by Swiss Radio International.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy confirmed on Monday that it was impossible for members to reach agreement on reducing agricultural and industrial tariffs and subsidies by April 30.

But he said the negotiations were not deadlocked, though progressing very slowly.

The WTO launched the talks in 2001 in the Qatari capital, Doha, with an aim to slash subsidies, tariffs and other barriers to global commerce while using trade to help poor nations.

In recent months the process has become bogged down, with developing countries demanding that rich nations make more effort to open up their farm markets.

For their part, the United States and European Union want major developing countries like Brazil and India to liberalize their industrial and service sectors. The EU and U.S. also accuse each other of failing to make enough concessions.

Switzerland is under pressure from other WTO members to substantially reduce its farm subsidies and cut import tariffs on agricultural products.

Wasescha said Doha wasn't dead, but restated the Swiss position that progress had to be made in three areas in order to achieve a global trade deal.

"We are talking about market access to industrial goods, market access to agriculture and domestic support for agriculture. The three camps have to move together."

The trade negotiator said that as one of the countries that stood to benefit most from the accord, Brazil should try harder to understand the positions of the EU and U.S..

He added that the announcement of the departure of U.S. trade negotiator Robert Portman, who is to become U.S. budget chief, " might create the impression that the U.S. has lowered their expectations with regard to the Doha round."

"It is up to the U.S. delegation to demonstrate that even though there is a change, occurring at a time which is not the very best for the Doha round, this has no impact on the capacity of the U.S. to push towards conclusion of the negotiations," he said.

Source: Xinhua