WTO deal in balance, trade chief urges last-ditch talks

November 13, 2013 08:39

Trading nations are achingly close to a draft deal on easing barriers to global commerce as a crunch summit looms and must redouble efforts to complete it, the WTO's chief said today.

"We are too close to success to accept failure," Roberto Azevedo told a session of the 159-member World Trade Organization.

"Therefore the only option is to make a last ditch attempt," he added.

Negotiators are working around the clock at the WTO's Geneva headquarters to try to bridge differences between rich countries, emerging powers and the world's poorest nations over the give and take needed to yield a deal at a summit of trade ministers on December 3-6 on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Azevedo, Brazil's former trade envoy who took over as WTO director general in September, has been holding what sources described as a "meat grinder" series of talks with individual nations, small groups and the full membership to try to close the gaps.

"We must intensify our work for this final push over the next few days. I repeat, we have to close this in the next few days," Azevedo hammered home.

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