Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Barack Obama Tuesday he hoped for a deal "soon" to allow a WTO trade facilitation deal blocked by India to go forward.
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India has refused to endorse the landmark deal to reduce trade barriers, until it gets exemptions for its food stockpiles from possible punitive measures.
Modi said after his Oval Office talks with Obama that the pair had had a "candid" discussion on the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
"India supports trade facilitation. However, I also expect that we are able to find a solution that takes care of our concern on food security.
"I believe that it should be possible to do that soon," Modi said.
Stockpiling and subsidies for the poor are considered trade-distorting under existing WTO rules.
All 160 WTO members including India agreed to implement the TFA -- which would mark the first big global trade liberalization deal in two decades -- at a 2013 meeting in Bali. India's move to hold up the deal in July surprised fellow WTO members.
The agreement was due to take effect in mid-2015.
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