US Deputy Trade Rep meets Kamal Nath

New Delhi, May 29: US Deputy Trade Representative Karan Bhatia today met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath here today to review the bilateral trade and see whether the beleagured Doha Development Round of the WTO can be put back on the rails.

With thin hopes of the WTO members meeting the June 15 deadline for achieving modalities for completion of the Doha Round by year end, the meeting between the US Deputy Trade Representative and India's Commerce and Industry Minister assume importance.

With India-US bilateral trade at 20 billion dollar and the aspirations on the part of the two counries to give a big push, the India-US Trade Forum is meeting here tomorrow with Commerce Secretary S N Menon representing the Indian side.

Mr Bhatia would also be there at the Trade Forum meeting which would thrash ways to clear the remaining bottlneck in the two-day trade.

Issues like visa restrictions in the US for Indian professionals and further opening of the Indian economy figured in the talks between Mr Kamal Nath and Mr Bhatia, official sources said.

UNI