Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile on Wednesday played down the chances of a breakthrough at a meeting of world trade ministers in Australia next month with the aim of keeping the failed Doha free trade talks alive.

Australia has expanded the 20th anniversary meeting of the Cairns Group of free trading agricultural nations in a last-ditch effort to hold on some gains from the five-year negotiations.

It was reported that the Cairns meeting will be attended by chief U.S. trade negotiator Susan Schwab, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and World Trade Organization Director- General Pascal Lamy.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has also been invited to the meeting.

Vaile said the Cairns meeting, which will bring together the United States, EU and representatives from major developing countries, was a last ditch effort to keep Doha alive, but adding that the round was very close to total collapse.

"It's only half a chance anyway," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"The round's not dead but it really is only hanging by a thread, " he said.

However, he said the meeting would give some hope to saving the trade talks.

"It's an opportunity when you bring people into the spotlight in amongst colleagues, it gives it the best chance of finding a way through," he said.

"Bringing players together after they've had a break during the month of August to focus on these issues and there's quite a bit of public pressure coming on both the US and the EU not to let this fail at this stage," he said.

The meeting was initially for the Australian-led Cairns Group of 18 farm-exporting countries to mark the 20th anniversary of the formation of the free trade group.

Source: Xinhua