 "India firm on WTO stand; US tries to break impasse")
Meanwhile, as the deadline for signing the trade facilitation agreement neared, a meeting of WTO's General Council was likely to be reconvened in Geneva.
"India's position remains the same," Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
India has been firm on its stance that it is not opposed to the TFA, but wants all member-countries, especially developed nations, to sign a parallel commitment to expedite talks for a permanent solution to the issue of farm subsidies.
Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher spoke of a "way of action", hinting a possible resolution might be worked out.
Meanwhile, the US stepped up efforts to coax India not to block the TFA, which seeks to streamline customs procedures through reduction in red tape and ease the flow of goods and services. US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who is visiting India for the fifth India-US strategic dialogue, raised this issue at a meeting with Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. However, there were no signs of a breakthrough.
"We do not dismiss the concerns India has about a large number of poor people who require some sort of assurance and sustenance levels. But we believe there is a way to provide for that, which keeps faith with the WTO Bali agreement. So, we are obviously encouraging our friends in India to try to find a path where there is a compromise that meets both needs, and we think that's achievable. We hope it's achievable," Kerry said at the end of the fifth strategic dialogue here.
US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who is accompanying Kerry on his visit here, too, was hopeful differences with India over the WTO deal would be resolved and an agreement would be reached before the end of the deadline.
If the protocol is signed on Friday, the agreement, after being ratified by the 160 WTO member-countries, will be implemented around this time next year. A senior commerce department official said India had provided for a "certain specific approach within the broader stance that India has taken".
At WTO's Geneva headquarters, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo held several meetings through Thursday to "find a solution and avert a crisis", a senior trade official present in Geneva told Business Standard.
Azevedo met the group coordinators of G-33 and G-20 countries to brief them on the developments since they had last met, 48 hours ago. He also discussed the action he planned to take through the next 12 hours.
Till the time of going to press, it was leant Roberto Azevêdo had convened an informal meeting of heads of delegations to apprise them of the consultations he had undertaken on expediting talks on the trade facilitation agreement since the General Council was suspended on July 25.
The General Council chairman had also issued a notice to WTO members to be prepared to convene at short notice.
"Delegations are showing real commitment to finding a solution and the director-general remains hopeful a solution can be found," the official said.
In a parallel development, some WTO nations informally discussed the idea of excluding India from the agreement and taking it to other plurilateral platforms.
However, India remained unperturbed, as the pact was meant to facilitate trade in developing countries and, therefore, excluding India made little sense.
A senior Indian official said if the WTO talks in Geneva were wrapped up on Thursday, the government would make a statement on the matter in Parliament on Friday.