Bush blessings to help WTO Doha talks

New Delhi, Mar 3 (UNI) President George W Bush today said the US and India would ''lead the way'' in ensuring that the crucial WTO talks were reverted back to the fast track and the Doha Development Round was completed by the end of this year.

''I assure you we will work together,'' he said in his Purana Qila address before leaving for Pakistan at the end of a successful three-day tour of India.

Paying tributes to India's emergence as a leader in the multilateral talks, Mr Bush said opening up of the market would bring about more opportunities for the people of the world, especially belonging to the poor strata.

The US President's assurance to work for completion of the trade talks would come as a boost to the Doha Round which has run into difficult times in the wake of wide differnces in all the areas like agriculture, industrial goods and services.

Significantly, US Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman was camping here well in advance of the President's visit. He had several rounds of talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on a host of multilateral issues.

India, in its role as a leader of the G-20, has differences with the US and the European Union on big doles of trade-distorting subsidies in the developed countries.

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