TORONTO (AFP) - After informal World Trade Organization talks in Egypt Sunday, Canada's trade minister said there would be another informal meeting in Montreal next month ahead of a full ministerial meeting in Mexico in September.
Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, speaking to reporters on the telephone from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, also said negotiations on agriculture were "essentially stalled" because of the European Union.
"On agriculture, we had a long discussion but made little progress," Pettigrew said at the conclusion of two days of discussions in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town.
"Negotiations are essentially stalled, while we wait for the Europeans to complete their internal reforms and to see whether that will allow them to bring some flexibility to the negotiating table," he said.
Pettigrew expressed hope that the ministers' upcoming talks in Montreal -- likely to be held July 28-30 -- would bridge some of the differences.
"I think that the meeting in Montreal could help us. We would be able to bridge some differences," he said, adding: "We support an ambitious outcome for Doha."
The Doha development agenda, launched in November 2001, aims to establish a more equitable approach to international trade for developing and least-developed countries by the end of 2004.
The meeting in Cancun, Mexico, in September will be a midterm review of the three-year Doha round of trade talks.
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