The United States has exchanged harsh words with China and India at world trade talks in Geneva.
U.S. delegate David Shark Monday accused the two countries of threatening to sink a fragile deal reached over the past week at the World Trade Organization meeting. He said their actions have thrown the entire Doha round of trade talks into the "gravest jeopardy of its nearly seven-year life."
India's Trade Minister Kamal Nath rejected the charge and in turn accused large developed countries of holding up a deal.
China's Ambassador Sun Zhenyu said he was surprised at what he called U.S. "finger-pointing." He said China has tried hard to contribute to a successful round of talks.
WTO chief Pascal Lamy proposed a draft deal late Friday.
The accord is aimed at lowering tariffs and subsidies on agriculture and manufactured goods and set the stage for a broader world trade deal.
Developing nations want rich countries to reduce farm subsidies, while industrialized nations want easier access to emerging markets.
The dispute between rich and poor countries has repeatedly stalled the Doha Development Round of WTO talks, which opened in Qatar's capital in 2001.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
