To clinch Doha deal:

Tough work ahead - Trade Chiefs

INDIA: Ministers from key trading nations who agreed to resume stalled talks on a new global free-trade pact say big hurdles remain to clinching a deal that has eluded negotiators for years.

Intense negotiations lie ahead to resolve such issues as farm subsidies and market access that have long stymied agreement, said the ministers who affirmed their commitment Friday to concluding the long-running Doha Development Round. "We have a long way to travel before we can safely say we are in the end game," said Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma, who organised the two-day meeting to get the Doha talks moving again after their collapse in July 2008.

"I wish them (the negotiators) good luck," Sharma said after the close of the meeting which drew ministers from 36 countries as well as top officials of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the European Commission.

The ministers said it would be desirable to conclude the round in 2010, the target set by a summit of industrial and emerging nations in July. But some nations expressed doubts about holding negotiators to a deadline.

"Substance will drive this process, not setting deadlines and timelines," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters.

"The toughest part of a marathon is the last two miles. There is a lot of hard work to be done."

The Doha Round began in 2001 with the aim of creating a free-trade deal that would boost global commerce and help developing countries prosper. Deadlock between the major trading blocs has dashed repeated attempts to forge a pact.

New Delhi, Sunday, AFP