The Director-General’s consultations have continued up until his departure today to Beijing. In all of these meetings, the Director-General has been providing briefings on the current situation in Geneva, listening to members and exchanging views on possible ways forward.

He has been meeting with a range of delegations, including a meeting yesterday with a senior official from the Indian Commerce Ministry, Mr J S Deepak, and the Indian Ambassador.

The Director-General was pleased to hear that the dialogue between the United States and India has resumed. He hopes that this dialogue will continue and will be fruitful in advancing efforts to resolve the current impasse, but he is not aware that any understanding has been reached as yet. He said:

“I encourage all WTO members to redouble their efforts to find a solution given the seriousness of the situation that the organization is currently in.”

The Director-General will continue to support efforts to find a solution through dialogue with ministers and leaders at the APEC and G-20 summits, and through contacts with WTO members in Geneva.