BRUSSELS, Sept 25: Key developing nations, which opposed American and European plans for farm trade liberalization in Cancun, Mexico, earlier this month were venting their anger over the US led war against Iraq, European Union trade chief Pascal Lamy said on Wednesday.

The so-called Group of 21 developing countries including India, Brazil, China and Pakistan represented large emerging economies which were determined to assert themselves, Lamy told the European Parliament.

They were also looking beyond the WTO, he said, adding: “They were not able to assert themselves in the United Nations on Iraq so they did it in Cancun on trade.”

The EU trade chief denied suggestions that the EU and the US had forged a duopoly in Cancun, prompting anger and unease among developing nations.

The EU disagreed with the US on many trade issues and saw eye to eye with developing countries on others, he said. There was no north-south split in Cancun, he insisted.

We are all to blame failure in Cancun means we all lost out, Lamy warned.

The WTO’s meeting in Cancun ended in failure on Sept 14 after rich and poor nations failed to agree on key issues including farm trade liberalization and EU demands for negotiation on WTO rules on investments.