After seven years of negotiations, we have come a long way in our collective endeavour. My sense is that we are not that far away from our objective of concluding the Round, even if a number of tough nuts remain to be cracked, notably in the agriculture and industrial modalities, which would be a stepping stone towards a final Doha deal.
My sense is that we can achieve modalities in these two areas by the year-end. I remain of the view that it is doable. And it is also even more desirable now than a year ago. But we now need to do it. The process to get there is the very good old recipe of bottom-up, transparency and inclusiveness. But above all, a common desire to mitigate the impact on your people of the severe deterioration of their economic, and hence their social, conditions."