Brussels, 16/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission and the European Parliament set out the EU's determination this week to ensure the Doha trade talks end in an ambitious deal that meets developing countries' needs (see EUROPE 10452), but the United States quashed any hope of finding a rapid solution to the impasse that the talks have been floundering in since July 2008, largely due to disagreements over industrial tariffs. The US ambassador to the WTO, Mickael Punke, said in a hearing at the American Senate on 12 September 2011 that it was time to admit that the Doha Round is in deadlock and a credible way out has to be found. The main essential issue is for all the WTO members to admit that what is currently being done is not working, he said, commenting (without explicitly mentioning China, India and Brazil) that the main area of disagreement was the extent to which developing countries had to open up their markets. The US Senate has been asked to extend the ambassador's term of office, which expires at the end of 2011. Punke said in order to improve the chances of a successful outcome, the current, lowest common denominator, approach had to be dropped, whereby the countries most loathe to open up their markets are the ones that determine the terms of the negotiations. (E.H./transl.fl)