World Trade Organisation: 20 years of talks and deadlock

WTO meetings in Seattle, Qatar, Cancun, Hong Kong, Potsdam, Davos - but still no agreement on the Doha round

January 1995: The World Trade Organisation is formed after the Uruguay round trade negotiations spanning 1986-94 were completed.

December 1999 - World trade talks in the US city of Seattle collapse when developing countries walk out after accusing the industrialised countries of failing to open their markets to clothing and food - the most important exports from poor countries. Outside the talks, riot police use red pepper gas to tackle thousands of anti-free trade activists as the biggest demonstration in the US since the end of the Vietnam war erupted into violence. Ministers tell WTO director general, Mike Moore, to work out a way of relaunching the talks. But no progress is expected until at least after a US presidential election in November 2000.