World Trade Organisation (WTO) DG Pascal Lamy told WTO ambassadors that bilateral and small group discussions on resolving key differences, needed to catch up with work among the full membership on refining texts required for the Doha round of negotiations.

“Acceleration, texts, convergence is now the name of the game,” he said in an informal meeting of the committee, which oversees the Doha Round negotiations in all subjects.

He noted that the mood had improved for producing revised drafts by late April.

There was a high level of activity planned in the various negotiating groups, and Lamy said that the weeks ahead would be intense and challenging.

“We urgently need to build on the good atmospherics to accelerate negotiations at all levels if we are to record substantial progress across the board by the summer break,” he reiterated.

He said he told Ministers that while the negotiations had to be “multilateral” and among the full membership, possible breakthroughs had to be tested either ‘plurilaterally’ or in bilateral discussions among small groups or pairs of members.

“This leg also has to move faster and deeper to transfer the required energy onto the multilateral leg. And this needs to happen now. Not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Now,” he said.

Reflecting their shared sense of urgency, said the WTO, delegations reiterated the issues that concerned them on substance, how the talks were organised, and ensuring that all members were included, particularly when decisions were taken.

Several members cautioned that the talks should not unravel provisions in drafts that were more or less agreed or stable.

Some members said that the present pace was not living up to the agreed aim of accelerating the talks, and repeated their call to improve the balance between the different subjects, and some called for meetings to discuss this.

Ambassadors also warned of the dangers of failing to conclude the round this year, with one delegation questioning whether anyone would want to return to continue the negotiations if the talks went into a hiatus.

At the meeting of the Trade negotiations Committee, Lamy also reported on recent activities and meetings, and provided a brief overview of each of the negotiating areas.