UK lauds India's efforts to revive Doha round of negotiations

"We clearly need to prevent protectionism taking hold... nonetheless in many countries there are pressure to use trade policies as a way to protect job in economic activities in individual countries," UK High Commissioner Charles RV Stagg said in a seminar at Amity University.

He said it is very encouraging that the Indian government seems very committed to relaunch the Doha round and it would send a positive signal to the world economy and to the world markets.

With an aim to "re-energising" the stalled Doha trade talks, India has sent invitations for hosting an "informal" meeting of key trade ministers of the WTO in Delhi in the first week of September.

Besides, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy, trade ministers from G-20 (a grouping of developing nations with offensive interest in agriculture) and G-33 countries (an alliance of the emerging economies which have defensive interest in agriculture) are expected to take part in the meeting.

The trade ministers would try to bridge gaps between the developing and developed countries on the level of market opening. The Doha Round launched in 2001 in the Qatar's capital has missed several deadlines.