India says to host MEF trade talks in Sept

L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) - India will host a meeting of trade ministers from the 17-nation Major Economies Forum (MEF) in September to discuss the Doha round of trade talks, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivsankar Menon said.

The MEF groups G8 industrialised nations with the G5 emerging powers plus Australia, Indonesia and South Korea.

Rich nations and developing powers agreed on Thursday to kick-start the stalled Doha trade talks and conclude them by 2010. Launched in 2001 to help poor countries prosper, the Doha round has stumbled on proposed tariff and subsidy cuts.