BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Renewed efforts to save the World Trade Organisation's Doha

Photo taken shows the WTO headquarters in Geneva. (Xinhua/AFP file photo)

Round failed on Monday as six top trading powers made no progress so far on issues such as U.S. and European farm support.

    According to Reuters' report, a well-placed trade diplomat said that the G6 talks have collapsed and it's not immediately evident what options are available other than suspension of the Doha Round.

    Earlier the head of the WTO Pascal Lamy told ministers from six trade powers he will suspend the WTO's Doha round of negotiations if there is no breakthrough on Monday, diplomats said.

    But US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said Monday that US is not giving up the Doha Round if a deal of real opening up of trade can be achieved.

    Ministers from the European Union, the United States, Brazil, Australia, Japan and India are meeting in Geneva in a bid to rescue the nearly five-year Doha round. Enditem

    (Agencies)

    No progress made so far in renewed world trade talks

    GENEVA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Key members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said here Monday that they had so far made no progress on thorny issues such as agriculture in the renewed world trade talks.

    The talks resumed Monday morning after ministers of the so-called G6, namely the United States, The European Union (EU), Australia, Japan, Brazil and India, failed to bridge their persistent differences on Sunday.

    Pasal Lamy, the director-general of the WTO, called the two-day meeting to try to re-energize the Doha round of global trade talks.

    If they cannot make any breakthrough on Monday, Lamy, who chairs the two-day negotiations, may announce a suspension of the nearly five years of the Doha Round talks, trade diplomats here indicated.

    Agriculture talks, one of the major fields of the Doha Round, were launched by the WTO in 2001 with an aim to help poor members' economic development through fairer trading conditions.

    The EU faces major pressure from other WTO members to open further its agricultural market.

    The EU has so far put forward an offer of 39-percent cut in agricultural tariffs in exchange for further industrial market access of developing countries and slashing of farm subsidies by the United States.

    But the G20 of major developing members led by Brazil and India demands a 54-percent tariff cut by the EU, while the United States insists a much higher 66-percent cut.

    The complex negotiations have been stalled for a long time due to deep differences among WTO members.

    The G6's consensus is considered crucial for a framework agreement among all WTO members, as they represent both the developed and developing members. Enditem