Brussels, 07/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, speaking in Brussels on Tuesday 6 May at a press briefing on the EU-Latin America Summit on 16-17 May which was broadcast in South America via videoconference, revealed his determination to get a compromise on modalities for the liberalisation of trade in agricultural and industrial goods (NAMA) in Geneva in May or June, in order to conclude the Doha Round before the end of the year. “There may not be a later for this deal - it's got to be now,” he said, stressing that 2009 would not be a good year to negotiate, given the change in the US administration in the first half of the year and the change in EU negotiators in the second half. The new versions of the negotiating texts in agriculture and on NAMA “will not solve all our problems, but they will pave the way for us to do so,” he added, calling for the texts to appear “no later than mid-May, that is by the end of next week”. He also stressed that the US political timetable would be an important factor in the timing of the deal. “We need to head for a ministerial in May or June. If that's the case, then we can complete the bulk of the negotiations, get the single undertaking and get the final deal in place for President Bush to sign off. We need to get the bulk of the work done on President Bush's watch, and that means this year,” he said. He also said that the revised texts that were awaited in Geneva should be brought forward without further delay and despite the current deadlock on tropical products. “At the moment, the agricultural text is being held up by inconclusive negotiations concerning tropical products, to which the Latin American countries are absolutely central. There are going to be further discussions in Geneva this week. I hope very much that …previous outlying commitments (can be) sustained and a convergence reached, in particular between Latin American countries and others such as ourselves in the EU,” he said. On 30 April, Chairman of the WTO Agricultural Negotiations Committee Crawford Falconer agreed to give delegations more time before drawing up a new version of his revised agricultural compromise. Further meetings of the committee are scheduled for 8 and 9 May to consider the latest proposal on sensitive products, assess progress on tropical products and preferential products. The new version of Falconer's draft compromise, then, will not be seen before the week beginning 12 May. (E.H.)