Vietnam has called on ministers participating in the WTO conference on December 2 to show that they are strong in commitment and political will to end the eight-year stalemate on framing a trade liberation accord by 2010.

“ Vietnam is asking for greater endeavours and commitments to be made in the first quarter of 2010 if all countries are resolved to achieve the goal [the completion of the Doha round of talks] by 2010,” Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang said at a World Trade Organisation ministers’ seventh conference in Geneva .

The Doha Round began in 2001 with a focus on dismantling obstacles to trade for poor nations by striking an accord that will cut agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods. Deadlines to conclude the talks have been missed several times.

The Vietnamese representative to the event delivered the country’s high estimation of the efforts exerted by chiefs of negotiation teams and also WTO member countries in stepping up the Doha round in recent months.

He said Vietnam believes the WTO is playing an important role in dealing with impacts from the global economic crisis.

The Minister reiterated that the Government is strongly committed to the multilateral trade system and regards it as one of the major focuses of the nation’s economic integration policies.

Taking the occasion, Minister Hoang thanked the International Trade Centre and other donor countries for providing technical assistance to Vietnam ’s trade capacity building activities.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said at a press conference on Dec. 2 that a breakthrough would be needed by the end of March for the Doha deal to be completed in 2010./.