Money World economy
The US government's focus on domestic issues amid a severe recession is hobbling efforts to restart the stalled Doha round of global trade talks.
Mari Pangestu, Indonesia's trade minister, says US leadership was crucial to jumpstart the talks, which have stalled since last year.
But the government in the world's biggest economy has been busy grappling with its worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s as well as other domestic issues such as revamping the healthcare system.
"The priorities of the US government right now... are not on trade, but on solving other issues such as health care before they return to the trade issue," Pangestu said.
"We know that without US leadership and clear signalling, it has not been possible to restart the process of negotiations even as others, including India, now stand ready to begin."
Pangestu made the remarks in a recorded video address to the conference organised by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council think tank.
The Doha round of negotiations, which started in the Qatari capital in 2001, collapsed last year amid major disagreements between developed and developing nations. But recent talks in New Delhi agreed to the resumption of high-level dialogue aimed at restarting negotiations.
Emerging economies are pressing rich nations to curb politically sensitive support for their farmers, which they say distorts the global economic system.
