GENEVA - Economic upheaval has raised the urgency of clinching a new global free trade deal, and will be discussed by G8 leaders this week, the head of the World Trade Organisation said on Tuesday.

The best way to keep trade open is to keep opening trade, hence the renewed urgency of concluding the round, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told a news conference in Geneva.

A draft communique for the G8 summit, seen by Reuters, includes a pledge to successfully conclude the Doha world trade round in 2010. The negotiations on opening global farm, industry and services markets began in 2001.

Lamy declined to comment on the prospects for a deal being reached in 2010, saying: I probably will be able to give you a clearer answer to this question on Friday after the G8 and the G8-plus-five discussions on trade.

(Reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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