"We live in times when the people are anxious. This economic challenge cannot be resolved by waiting and watching," Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said in Washington.

"It can also not be addressed by new barriers coming up and which will come in the way of global trade," he said, in apparent reference to the "Buy American" and "Buy Chinese" strategies adopted by Washington and Beijing in their massive economic stimulus programs.

Sharma said that against the backdrop of the current crisis, there should not be a situation where powers such as the United States, India and China wait for each other to begin the task of kickstarting the Doha Round of global trade liberalization talks.

"No, we must not wait. We must act. Take decisions which are correct, take decisions for which coming generations will remember that these leaders had the courage and commitment," he told a forum organized by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Sharma said he held talks with US President Barack Obama's top trade envoy Ron Kirk on Wednesday and that they hoped to build on two draft reports submitted in December 2008 to restart the Doha negotiations.

"It would be wise to reenergize, to reactivate the process and take it where it should be taken and that will give a message of hope for the world," he said.

Officials from US Trade Representative (USTR) Kirk's office were not immediately available for comment on the discussions.

Last week, Sharma and Kirk agreed to "reset" the stalled talks during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a conference of agricultural exporters in Indonesia, according to World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy.

He said that eight torturous years of the Doha round talks should reach a conclusion next year after changes in the US and Indian governments.

"We had not had that clear signal of 'reset' until now. What I got from here is that ... yes, we should conclude this by 2010," Lamy said.

Kirk had said the United States was committed to outlining a new basis for Doha negotiations by August, when the WTO begins its summer break.

"Doing nothing, rejecting pursuing an alternative to what we have been doing for the past three rounds is in fact a decision that leads to a failure of Doha, and that is not an acceptable conclusion," he said.

The Doha Round collapsed in Geneva in July last year amid differences between India and the United States.

India may ease its relentless stand on market access for foreign farm products in an effort to inject new life into the Doha Round, some reports have said.

Sharma declined to comment when asked at the forum about a possible compromise or shift in India's position over special safeguards for developing countries to insulate their farm sector against a sudden surge in agri-imports.

"I would not like to put my finger on one issue or the other," he said.

While it may be impossible to achieve a "perfect" Doha round of talks, efforts must be made to bring about a fair resolution to the global trade issue, he said.

"We do not want to hear this word 'logjam.' Let's work together to break it and take forward the process. Much has been invested in this."

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