Officials and diplomats were addressing various issues such as banana imports and protecting product names in preparation for the upcoming ministerial trade negotiations. Trade experts emphasized that the significance of the talks goes beyond tariff and subsidy cuts, highlighting the international community's ability to address major problems like the food crisis. World Trade Organisation Chief Economist Patrick Low expressed concern about governments' inability to reach agreements on trade negotiations and its implications for dealing with issues like climate change. WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy convened the Geneva meeting to push for a breakthrough in the long-running Doha round, which aims to open up world trade and help developing countries alleviate poverty. Negotiators are experiencing a renewed sense of urgency and even optimism as they work towards reaching a deal in core areas of agriculture and industrial goods next week. The goal is to finalize the outlines of the deal before the U.S. elections and change in the White House next year. Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath emphasized the importance of addressing the challenges of finance, food, and fuel in any potential deal. World leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have expressed their support for a deal. A new agreement will involve wealthy countries such as the United States, Japan, and EU nations reducing farm tariffs and subsidies to open their markets for food. In exchange, countries like India and Brazil will lower their tariffs to allow for greater access to markets for industrial goods and services. Once ministers agree on the framework, negotiators will work on applying the details to thousands of tariff lines and addressing other issues like fisheries subsidies and rules for imports with unfair pricing. The challenge now is whether ministers can resolve the differences between developed and developing nations. France, the EU's largest food producer and current president, stated that the EU has made all the concessions it can in agriculture. French Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Idrac stated at a news conference in Brussels that the shared goal is to achieve a rebalancing of the concessions already made by the EU. EU trade chief Peter Mandelson believes that EU governments have strengthened his position in seeking more concessions from other countries in the WTO negotiations. In the WTO's consensus-driven system, each of the 152 members, soon to be 153 with the addition of Cape Verde, has the power to veto. Developing countries argue that they should have to open their markets less than wealthy nations, citing the Doha round's development mandate. However, they are being asked to expose vulnerable farmers and industries to competition while rich countries continue to protect their own farmers. Wealthy countries argue that they need tangible benefits in market access in countries like India and China in order to justify making significant sacrifices in farm protection agreements at home. They believe that significant gains in trade would result from South-South trade, where developing countries trade with each other. While the common belief is that free trade leads to economic growth and benefits for all nations, some non-governmental organizations disagree, claiming that the current Doha proposals will only increase poverty for farmers and workers in poor countries and further entrench their dependence on wealthier nations. Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the U.S.-based thinktank Oakland Institute, expressed opposition to the proposed measures by communities and social movements, stating that they hinder the ability of developing countries to address the crisis. On the other hand, Pascal Lamy, a French former EU trade chief, believes that a Doha deal has the potential to reduce distortions in the world trading system and benefit poor countries by boosting food supplies in the long term and confidence in the short term. Lamy sees this deal as a rare opportunity to signal some positive news within the system.