Global trade

Even at this desperately late hour, a good deal can be struck in the Doha round of multilateral trade talks if G8 leaders intensify their diplomatic efforts, the International Chamber of Commerce said today in its annual statement on behalf of the world business community to the heads of state and government who will attend the G8 summit.

ICC Chairman Marcus Wallenberg is stressing the need for immediate progress in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations during high-level meetings and on international television this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Violent street protests against globalization and capitalism have become part of the contemporary scene. Cities that host major international meetings now know from experience how many riot police and clean-up crews they need to mobilize.

With the launch of a new world trade round only days away, the director-general of the World Trade Organization, Mike Moore, has said that failure by governments to craft a deal at the negotiations would be ''unthinkable''.