India to host Doha meeting in September: Commerce Minister Anand Sharma

PARIS: India plans to convene a meeting of key world trade ministers in September to capitalise on new momentum in global commerce talks, Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said today.

"In early September we're looking at a ministerial meeting," Sharma told AFP on the sidelines of informal world trade talks in Paris taking place this week.

Sharma said the talks in Paris were "important enough to give confidence and hope that we can do business together," adding: "We've reaffirmed our commitment to take the Doha Round to a successful conclusion."

The United States and India have been at odds in the Doha round of trade liberalisation talks, which got under way in the Qatari capital in late 2001 and has been foundering ever since.

Progress has been hampered by disputes between developed and developing nations on measures to ease restrictions on trade in agricultural and industrial products.

Sharma today however pointed to "major changes" in both the United States and India following elections in the two countries in recent months.