India on Tuesday said it would take at least two more years for completion of the Doha Round of talks on a global trade deal, as it would take time for things to settle in the US after elections are held next year.
“The US goes into the election mode (in 2012) and then (we can) look at 2013, as by the time the (US) administration comes into office... Thereafter putting people in place and getting negotiations restarted, if by the end of 2013, (we) have a deal, you will be pretty damn lucky. My guess is you are looking closer to 2014,” Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said at a Ficci function here.
Last week, the WTO ended its crucial biennial ministerial conference without making any headway on the way forward for the Doha Round of talks. The Doha Round, which began in 2001, has missed several deadlines due to the entrenched positions taken by developed and developing nations on issues like tariffs on agricultural goods and free market access.