Negotiators reconvened at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Thursday to address the remaining challenges in reaching an agreement in agriculture, a key component of the Doha free trade round. The landscape for the negotiations has shifted significantly since the round began in 2001, with record food prices alleviating the pressure on governments to provide subsidies to farmers and concerns about food security prompting some countries to reduce import tariffs. Furthermore, growing protectionism in wealthy nations is complicating efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement among the WTO's 151 member states. The nine-day talks, led by New Zealand's WTO ambassador Crawford Falconer, will focus on technical issues such as how to classify and handle sensitive products that countries wish to protect from tariff reductions. Diplomats have decided to leave the major headline figures, such as the extent of reductions in farm subsidies and tariffs, to be resolved by senior politicians at the end of the negotiations. One negotiator from a wealthy country stated, "That's ministerial work. We lay the groundwork and bring it as far as possible for the ministers to finalize." Special attention is being paid to agriculture in the Doha process as it is crucial for the development of developing countries, who are expected to benefit the most from the negotiations. Developing nations are calling for wealthy countries to reduce farm tariffs and subsidies while also opening their markets to industrial goods and services. A key issue in the Geneva talks is the treatment of "special products" in agriculture, with no agreement yet on how many can be designated or how they will be treated. The G-33, a group of 45 developing countries, insists that any deal must allow them to completely exempt some special products from tariff cuts, but this is being resisted by developing food exporters such as Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand, who are aligning with wealthy nations. Falconer is optimistic that the discussions happening this week and next will help to bridge the gaps enough for him to create a revised version of the negotiating document he originally made in July. Trade negotiators anticipate that the talks, involving thirty-six important delegations, will address various agriculture negotiations, starting with domestic support this week, then moving on to market access next week, and concluding with export competition. This will include topics such as food aid, export credits, and the sensitive issue of cotton. Falconer will update all members of the WTO on the progress of the talks next Friday. Before the holidays, Falconer distributed documents summarizing the past four months of discussions. They established a timetable for wealthy nations to reduce subsidies and suggested that new members of the WTO may be exempt from these reductions.