GENEVA, March 28: Members of the World Trade Organization will not be able to meet the March 31 deadline to set the guidelines and targets for their farming negotiations, the talks’ chairman, Stuart Harbinson announced on Friday, according to trade sources.

Describing it as “clearly a very serious matter”, Harbinson said however that “just about everybody” was committed to the negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar, in Nov 2001, a source said.

And the former Hong Kong ambassador urged diplomats to continue their efforts both in Geneva and in capitals for a deal.

“Of course, it remains vitally important that modalities for further reform are established as soon as possible,” he said, according to the source.

He was speaking after four days of talks at WTO headquarters here this week during which, he said, it became clear that no movement on key issues was possible at this stage.—AFP