GENEVA: World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy warned Monday that time was running out for the conclusion of a global trade liberalisation pact as more than 100 ministers met to discuss prospects for global commerce.

But the United States, seen as critical to breaking the eight-year stalemate in the Doha round of global trade talks, assured the Geneva meeting that it was prepared to "move into the end game" of the negotiations.

World leaders have pledged to conclude the Doha Round of global trade negotiations by 2010, but little progress has been made.

Since the start of Doha talks in 2001, deadlines have been repeatedly missed amid differences between developed and developing economies over the level of cuts to agriculture subsidies and industrial product tariffs.

"Time is running out, and it is not credible at this stage to see issues in isolation from the work and the achievements of the past eight years," Lamy said in opening remarks to ministers and high-level officials from 153 member states attending the WTO meeting in Geneva.

"The moment of truth is fast approaching when you will have to decide whether the 2010 target can be met. Political leaders are practically unanimous that they want to meet it, but reaffirmation is not enough," he told the ministers.

"Now we need action, concrete and practical action, to close the remaining gaps," he stressed.

US Trade Representative Ron Kirk signaled that his country was prepared to be flexible if developing nations hastened moves to open their rapidly growing markets.

"For our part, the United States negotiating team is ready to move into the endgame," he said.

"We have made our specific interests well known: that meaningful market opening is required to complete the round and we are looking for concrete signs from other members that they are ready to join us in that commitment," Kirk said.

Citing figures from the International Monetary Fund, Kirk said 58 percent of global economic growth between now and 2014 will be provided by China, India, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Southeast Asian countries.

"The creation of new trade flows and meaningful market opening, particularly in key emerging markets, is required to fulfill the development promise of Doha," he said.

However, Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim handed the ball back to the United States and other developed countries, saying that it was "unreasonable" to expect developing nations to make "unilateral concessions" in order to secure the round.

The Obama administration has been grappling with domestic problems and has not put concrete trade reforms on the table, analysts say.

Meanwhile Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said negotiations over the past three months have been confined to peripheral issues, "but the gaps on the impasse are precisely on headline issues."

Catherine Ashton, the outgoing European Union Trade Commissioner, also assessed that negotiations were moving "too slowly."

"That's a cause for concern," she said, warning that dangers of protectionism loomed.

"Overall it's been contained. The WTO system has responded well to the first stress test. but it's not over yet," she said, a day before she takes on the post of EU foreign policy chief.

China, whose rapid growth has helped the world emerge from the worst recession in decades, also cautioned that the Doha talks needed to be hauled back from stalemate to help nations prosper from trade.

"Looking back at the 60 years of the multilateral trading system, we see that free trade has always been navigating through choppy waters," said Chinese Trade Minister Chen Deming.

He warned that results derived from the Doha talks so far should not be withdrawn.

"What is on the table is hard won and cannot be overturned for any excuse," he said.