British Prime Minister Tony Blair seemed optimistic about the revival of the Doha round of the world trade talks on Friday, one day before major trade partners meet in Davos.

"I think there is every chance that they (the talks) will get underway again," Blair told a panel discussion about Africa at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort.

"If it (the Doha round) succeeds, it will be great. If it fails, it will be catastrophic," he added.

Blair held separate talks earlier Friday with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and top negotiators from the European Union and the United States.

Trade ministers from the world major trade partners will meet in Davos on Saturday to discuss how to revive the Doha round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks.

The Doha round, launched in 2001 with an aim of lowering trade barriers to help poor countries' economic development, has been stalled due to sharp differences among key WTO members on agricultural issues and market access.

Source: Xinhua