Supachai spoke of "tangible progress in most areas" following a meeting of ambassadors to the 147-member World Trade Organisation in Geneva.

"We're within striking distance of what we're trying to reach in July," he told reporters.

The WTO hopes to reach an understanding by the end of July on a framework for galvanizing the Doha round, which was launched in the Qatari capital in November 2001 but has since ground to a near-halt, principally because of disagreements on the elimination of trade-distorting agricultural export subsidies in rich countries.

The round is scheduled to conclude by January 1, 2005 and WTO ministers are scheduled to meet here July 27 and 28 in another bid to spur headway in the talks.

Hopes were raised earlier this year when the European Union said it was prepared to eliminate its agricultural export subsidies on condition that its trade partners -- notably the United States -- took similar steps to end official support for farm exports.

Emerging and developing countries maintain that such subsidies in the developed world depress prices and make it impossible for them to compete fairly on world markets.

Supachai on Wednesday also suggested that a compromise might be in the offing on another obstacle to progress -- customs barriers to agricultural products.

Certain especially sensitive products, such as rice in Japan, could enjoy exemptions to measures aimed at increasing access.

Ahead of the Geneva talks in late July, ministers from the European Union, the United States, India, Brazil and Australia -- some of the principal actors in the Doha process -- could confer in Paris July 10 and 11.