HELSINKI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Saturday urged an early resumption of the Doha round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks.

    EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Joaquin Almunia, expressed disappointment at the suspension of the Doha talks in July.

    At a press conference after a two-day informal meeting of EU finance ministers and central bank governors, he called for more efforts to relaunch the talks as soon as possible.

    European Central Bank Governor Jean-Claude Trichet echoed Alumnia's plea.

    The Doha round was halted in July after a bitter dispute between the EU and the United States over farm tariffs and subsidies.

    The EU has repeatedly demanded Washington cut its farm subsidies, saying it would make a similar cut.

    However, the talks were unlikely to be revived before the mid-term U.S. Congressional elections in November, according to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson last week in Strasbourg, France.

    The current Doha round of trade talks, which opened in the Qatari capital in 2001, was designed to remove agricultural and industrial trade barriers. The goal to reach a trade treaty should have been achieved by the end of 2004, but it was later shifted to December 2006. Enditem