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Geneva. Ministers at a key World Trade Organization summit moved on Tuesday to bridge a gap between emerging and developed nations which has long delayed a global pact ahead of a 2010 deadline set by world leaders.

The sides appear unwilling to offer concessions over the level of cuts to agriculture subsidies and industrial product tariffs that have caused an eight year stalemate in global trade liberalization talks. Some remain optimistic differences can be narrowed.

“There are domestic and strong expectations and strong political will to conclude the round, and people will come forward with constructive suggestions,” Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said.

As the three-day WTO ministerial meeting began this week, the United States called on developing countries to make “meaningful market opening” but Brazil said it was “unreasonable” to expect emerging countries to be the ones making concessions in order to secure a Doha accord.

World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy warned ministers and officials from 153 member states that time was not on their side even though much of the deal had been clinched.

“Time is running out, and it is not credible at this stage to see issues in isolation from the work and the achievements of the past eight years,” Lamy said.

World leaders, including those in the key Group of 20, have pledged to conclude the Doha Round by 2010.

Since the start of Doha talks in the Qatari capital in 2001, several deadlines have been missed.

US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said his country was prepared to enter the final stage of negotiations if developing nations hastened moves to open their markets. “The US is ready to move into the endgame.”

About 58 percent of global economic growth between now and 2014 will be provided by China, India, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Southeast Asian countries, the IMF says.

“The creation of new trade flows and meaningful market opening, particularly in key emerging markets, is required to fulfill the development promise of Doha,” Kirk said. But Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim handed the ball back to developed countries, saying: “It’s unreasonable to expect that concluding Doha would involve more unilateral concessions from developing countries.”

China, whose rapid growth has helped the world emerge from the worst recession in decades, cautioned that the Doha talks needed to be hauled back from stalemate to help nations prosper from trade. “Looking back at the 60 years of the multilateral trading system, we see that free trade has always been navigating through choppy waters,” said Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming.

He warned that results derived from the Doha talks so far must not be withdrawn.

“What is on the table is hard-won and cannot be overturned for any excuse,” he said.

Agence France-Presse