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GENEVA - New Zealand's World Trade Organisation (WTO) ambassador Crawford Falconer, is working on a revised agriculture draft, reflecting negotiations of the past five months.
Ministers meeting at last week's World Economic Forum in Davos have given renewed impetus to the long-running Doha round to open up world trade.
Agriculture is seen as the key to the round, launched over six years ago, because of its importance for developing countries.
One Asian diplomat said he expected Falconer, chairman of the agriculture talks, to issue his draft on February 5, in time for the WTO's next general council meeting and ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday on February 7.
Australia's new trade minister Simon Crean told a news conference at the WTO on Monday that there were still big gaps among rich and poor countries, but ministers had agreed to finish the round as soon as possible.
"It was a positive outcome from Davos. It did surprise people, but the task is now ahead of us," he said.
"I'm encouraged by the talks and the level of discussion in Davos. I'm encouraged by the response and the way that message has been conveyed back here and the momentum that that's hopefully generated," Crean said after meeting trade diplomats.
Crean, who took office seven weeks ago in the Labor government that won last November's election, said ministers had agreed to move fast once revised negotiating texts are issued in Geneva for agriculture and for industrial goods.
Crean said the next moves would depend on the reaction to the texts, which could provoke further negotiations, before diplomats make trade-offs between the sectors such as agriculture, industry and services.
That would then clear the way for ministers to meet and negotiate the most politically contentious topics. Ministers said on Saturday they hoped to meet on this around Easter.
Crean said the most difficult area in agriculture was increasing market access by cutting tariffs.
- REUTERS
