Brussels, 13/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - Less than six months since the G8 and the Major Economies Forum in L'Aquila in July gave undertakings to complete the multilateral Doha Round trade negotiations before the end of 2010, and despite acceleration in technical talks in Geneva, the threat of failure is once again hanging over the Doha Agenda for Development. In both Brussels and Geneva, blame is laid principally on the hesitation, or lack of interest even, of the United States and its administration, under pressure at home over the reform of the health care system and abroad over negotiations on an international climate agreement. In the face of American procrastination, the leaders of the EU and of Brazil, at their 3rd informal bilateral summit in Stockholm on 6 October, acknowledged that, if there is no progress in the next few months, the aim of concluding the Round in 2010 would be under threat. They called on their partners, therefore, in a message addressed to Washington, to conclude the Round, in view of the progress made on modalities (or technical details), and to make clear their demands quickly. Both the Europeans and Brazilians probably noted the less than full commitment to this issue from US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh at the end of September, when he called on his fellow leaders to show a sense of realism. At the end of September, French Secretary of State for Trade Anne-Marie Idrac did not hide her pessimism over the future of the Doha Round, speaking of the “overcautiousness” of the US and also of Europe, and opining that it was “a bit too late” to conclude an agreement. In Geneva, where, this week, the WTO Agriculture Committee is continuing its technical discussions, American casualness has been highlighted from within European and developing countries' ranks. High-ranking officials of member countries will, nevertheless, meet during the week of 19 October at WTO headquarters to try to maintain impetus, in the run-up to the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference from 30 November to 2 December, which will restrict itself to assessing progress in talks since summer. Trade ministers from the agricultural exporting countries of the Cairns Group and the emerging economies of the WTO G20 group will meet before that on 28-29 November. Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Round, the African cotton producing countries of the G4 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad) have threatened to block negotiations of agricultural subsidies. Meeting in Ouagadougou on 9 October to prepare for the WTO conference, their trade ministers stated their intention to go all the way in their efforts so that the cotton issue can be resolved once and for all. (E.H./transl.rt)