MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula optimistic about a global trade agreement “in next 30 days”

Brazil and United States expect that in the coming thirty days agreement on the Doha Round global trade talks can be reached, revealed Monday Brazilian president Lula da Silva during his weekly broadcast program.

Last Saturday President Lula da Silva met with US President George W Bush at the Camp David retreat and apparently reached some kind of understanding on the stalled World Trade Organization Doha Round talks plus asserting the "strategic" alliance between Brazil and the US in several fields. "President Bush told the press he wants an agreement at WTO level. He said he was willing to reach such an agreement, and in the meeting with me, he personally insisted that in the coming days we must be ready to agree on the trade deal", said Lula da Silva. The Brazilian president said that this week he will be phoning British Primer Minister Tony Blair and German Premier Angela Merkel, since Germany currently holds the EU presidency, to push for the Doha negotiations. "If we reach a Doha Round agreement, I think it will be a great achievement, particularly for the poor world since we will be giving them an opportunity to join the XXI century", added Lula da Silva. Last Saturday following the meeting with the Brazilian president, Bush addressing the US press said it was in the interest of the US "that we successfully finish these WTO discussions". The four main actors of the Doha Round talks, Brazil, India, US and the EU, are scheduled to meet in mid April in New Delhi to find a compromise in agriculture, farming subsidies and markets access. The Doha Round talks were launched in 2001 but were interrupted last year following disagreements in agriculture. Last January a new round of contacts was started to try and find common ground to proceed with negotiations. The 150 WTO member countries have until next June 30 to find an understanding since on that date the special negotiations powers of the US Executive, granted by Congress, expire. Developing countries are demanding for an end to farm subsidies and access to rich countries' markets, while the developed world is asking in exchange openings in services and for manufactured goods.