Gates meets Lamy as trade round concerns build

Davos (Switzerland), Jan 26: Bill Gates held a private meeting with World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy today in Davos against a backdrop of rising concern among business leaders about the stalled Doha Round of trade talks.

The Microsoft founder confirmed he had met Lamy but would not say what the two talked about.

''We talked and that's all,'' he told Reuters on the margins of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.

The meeting came as business leaders are becoming increasingly vocal about the danger of the trade round collapsing completely.

''We are united in our concern that failure to restart the Doha Round discussion immediately and conclude them within the next six months will seriously damage the global community,'' 15 top business chiefs said in a statement in Davos earlier.

''The lessons of history with regard to the destruction which flows from protectionism are clear and undeniable,'' the group, which included chief executives and chairmen from Swiss Re, Nestle, Goldman Sachs and Unilever, said.

On Saturday, Switzerland will host ministerial talks, the first group gathering since July.

It is to be attended by European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, his U S counterpart Susan Schwab and about two dozen ministers, including those from developing country powerhouses Brazil and India.

Reuters