Negotiators involved in the revision of the 2008 draft "modalities" text on agricultural negotiations within the World Trade Organisation’s Doha round of discussions were urged to make “problem solving progress” before a new round of talks on agriculture started on April 4.

This was the final round of talks scheduled for April before the target of Easter when it was suggested that revised draft texts should be drawn up.

Agriculture negotiations chairperson Ambassador David Walker said he would continue to work with Geneva-based delegates before reconvening another fortnight of talks starting on April 4.

He noted that the grouping had not managed to draw up a revised draft text yet.

Walker hoped to be able to bring the grouping’s contribution together before the target deadline.

“But I would also stress that delegations continue to work to develop such contributions, I hope, in areas of clarifications and data, in areas of bracketed and annotated issues in the draft modalities that we have been looking at, and during the course of the discussions, one or two other very specific proposals that delegations have indicated they are continuing to discuss amongst themselves.”

He called for work to intensify in the coming days as this would determine how the agriculture negotiating group intended to respond to the Trade Negotiations Committee’s invitation to contribute revised texts in all areas of the negotiation by Easter.

Walker said this at the conclusion of the latest round of agriculture talks, which began with a meeting of the full membership on March 9, and included two large meetings of about 38 representative delegations, smaller consultations that he held with some negotiators on four contentious subjects, and meetings some delegates held among themselves.

Meanwhile, after a week of intensive consultations on non-tariff barriers, the chairperson of the industrial goods negotiation, Ambassador Luzius Wasescha, asked members to be flexible, wise and creative to finalise texts that could move the talks a decisive step forward.