WTO’s Lamy urges global trade deal to fight crisis

World leaders should promptly conclude the Doha round of trade talks as part of their fight against the economic crisis, the head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Friday.

In an interview with Reuters, Pascal Lamy welcomed the declaration of Thursday's G20 summit that global trade should be kept open and supported with 250 billion euros ($334 billion) worth of finance measures.

"Implementation now is something we will be watching," Lamy said.

He added it was too early to say when progress on Doha could be made, noting the new U.S. administration needed to fine-tune its position on trade, while India was holding elections this year. But he urged "political re-engagement" before the summer break.