DOHA, Nov 12: Major differences must be overcome if trade ministers are to agree on the agenda for a new round of market liberalization talks, Mike Moore, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, said on Monday.

“Bluntly, there are still too many areas of substantial difference,” Moore told a news conference.

But he described the five-day meeting of the 142-member body, which ends on Tuesday, as very civil.

“The mood is good. People are constructive. They’re engaging. They’re battling for their national interests in offensive and defensive ways,” Moore said.

Hopes for an agreement got a boost earlier when negotiators agreed in principle on a deal reconciling protection for rich countries’ patents on medicines while giving poor countries greater access to cheap drugs.—Reuters