"I hope that there is another meeting by the end of this month," Kamal Nath told reporters in New Delhi Sunday.

The latest round of negotiations in Geneva for a global deal on trade ended in failure at the weekend due to a standoff between developed and developing countries over the issue of cuts in agricultural subsidies.

Nath returned to New Delhi Sunday, two days ahead of schedule, saying there was no "negotiating space."

A statement by more than 100 developed countries at the WTO talks underlined the need for progress on eliminating trade-distorting subsidies for agriculture in rich nations "that threaten the lives of millions of poor farmers."

Representatives of developing nations also expressed concern over objections raised by the United States to measures aimed at granting some poor countries the right to protect special products or crucial sectors of their economies.

Washington's refusal to compromise on an offer to lift trade barriers was seen as a key reason for the collapse of the Geneva talks.