Brussels, 13/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - Following the unanimous vote by the US Senate finance committee at the end of December backing the two people nominated by President Barack Obama to hold the key external trade posts alongside US Representative Ron Kirk, the US Senate is due, in the week of 20 January, to confirm the appointments of Michael Punke as US Ambassador to the WTO and Deputy Trade Representative, and Isi Siddiqui as chief negotiator in agriculture. During their hearings with the Senate finance committee, the two candidates stressed that the Obama administration would not approve any Doha Round agreement that did not require emerging countries like China, Brazil and India to further open their markets. US partners had said that these two vacant posts - the agriculture negotiator's post has been empty since January 2009 and Obama's arrival in the White House and that of Ambassador to the WTO since the departure of Peter Allgeier in October 2009 - were an indication of Washington's lack of interest in Doha Round negotiations. (E.H./transl.rt)