June 17, 2007	Sunday	Jumadi-us-Sani 01, 1428

GENEVA, June 16:, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy will seek to ensure Chinese leaders support key WTO talks during a visit to Beijing next week, his spokesman said on Friday.

Lamy is to meet top Chinese leaders and the ministers of trade, agriculture and finance during a three-day trip that starts on Monday, Keith Rockwell said.

His visit coincides with a meeting in Germany of four major powers — Brazil, the European Union, India and the United States — aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Doha round of trade liberalisation talks that are supposed to help lift developing countries out of poverty.

“We are at a very crucial stage in the negotiations,” Rockwell said.

Lamy sought “to understand fully China's concerns and make sure that they are fully briefed about the process here in Geneva,” where the WTO is based.—AFP