Brussels, 04/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Despite the fact that the deadline for the multilateral Doha trade round has again been postponed - this time until the end of 2008, a date recently approved by World Trade Organisation (WTO) director general Pascal Lamy - the main players are queuing up to reaffirm their commitment to bring the long drawn-out trade talks to a close. The delay is holding back new trade opportunities for many of the key players, including Australia. Australia is the leading farm export country in the Cairns Group and its trade minister, Simon Crean, said that week that Australia would “redouble its efforts to get agreement in the Doha multilateral trade negotiations.” In an interview with The Australian on 31 December 2007, Simon Crean, a minister in the new Labour government of prime minister Kevin Rudd, said he wanted to put new emphasis on Doha at this critical stage in the talks. Simon Crean may attend the World Economic Forum at Davos in February to meet other trade ministers: “Any involvement and opportunity that we have at this critical stage of Doha to engage people face to face should be taken,” he said, hoping the stalled talks would restart in late February or March. “It is very important that off the back of Doha we look at our trade policy and direction for the future… We have to ensure exports will again become a net contributor to our economic growth and sustain our future beyond the resources boom,” he added. Crean said trade facilitation (scrapping obstacles to goods crossing borders by, for example, simplifying customs procedures) was very important for Australia to increase the number of exports, particularly in value-added products and services. Australia's net exports contribution to gross domestic product had been positive in just two of the last 12 years of the previous government under John Howard, explained Simon Crean, noting that the reason was partly the failure to secure an outcome to the Doha round to get new market access in global trade, and the fact that domestic trade facilitation programmes had been cut back. “It is from market liberalisation that the opportunities begin,” said Crean, explaining that he was in the process of getting the terms of reference and personnel organised for a review of Australia's trade policy. (E.H.)