Brazilian president appeals for Doha Round agreement

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday appealed for more efforts to revive the Doha Round negotiations under the World Trade Organization (WTO).

President Lula made the plea in a session of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, calling on developed countries to assume responsibility of developing a pact to help bring about an agreement.

He indicated that his country would make concessions. "We are willing to open our markets in a proportionate way," he said, adding that Brazil would also urge concessions from its G20 partners.

But he stressed there was a necessity for concessions from the United States and the European Union (EU).

He said the Doha Round could be the road of hope for world trade. In his speech, he vowed to change "the world trade geography."

Negotiations on the Doha Round were suspended last July after key players could not reach agreements on agricultural subsidies and market access to industrial and services products.

Trade ministers from around 30 WTO members are scheduled to meet informally on Saturday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

Key players of the Doha Round negotiations, such as U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, are expected to attend.

In domestic policy, Lula, who was re-elected in October 2006, said his government will increase spending on infrastructure in his second term and continue to tackle poverty.

Source:Xinhua