Doha countdown

Time is running out to reach an outline agreement on world trade by the end of the month. But there seems to be very little give on the part of the main negotiating parties - the US, the EU, Brazil and India.

The Doha development round kicked off in 2001. It is supposed to be done and dusted by the end of the year to give plenty of time for the US Congress to approve the agreement before June next year, when the administration's "fast track" authority to submit a trade deal for a straight yes or no vote runs out.

Fast track authority exists because congressmen would otherwise inevitably try to tack on amendments for their pet causes that would turn a trade deal into a dog's breakfast. France will also hold presidential elections next year in July, so the longer it takes to clinch a deal, the greater the chances that Doha becomes a political football.

Both the US and the EU insist that the developing countries, notably India and Brazil, offer bigger cuts on tariffs on manufacturing products. Aid groups argue that this is an unfair demand.