Asia-Pacific leaders said today they saw "real progress" in world trade talks now underway in Geneva and pledged flexibility and the political will to forge a deal by the end of 2007.
The 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) called on all nations to give the same commitment to reaching a conclusion to the drawn out Doha round of trade talks.
The Asia-Pacific leaders, whose economies account for more than half of world trade, said there was an "urgent need to make progress" in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.
"We pledge the political will, flexibility and ambition to ensure the Doha round negotiations enter their final phase this year. We call on our WTO partners to join in this vital effort," said the leaders' declaration after the two-day summit.
The leaders said it was critical to achieve early progress in the contentious sectors of agriculture and industrial products, and said their ministers would resume talks on the basis of proposed compromises on agriculture and non-agricultural markets.
"Again, we call on our partners to do the same," they said.
But Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi cautioned it would be difficult to achieve a deal.
"I find it very difficult to be optimistic of completion of the Doha round, simply because at the moment the major powers ... are not sufficiently flexible in order to help push forward the process," Mr Badawi told reporters at the end of APEC.