The World Trade Organisation on Wednesday elected Malaysia's ambassador, Muhamad Noor, as head of its General Council.

Noor, previously head of the 150-member WTO's Disputes Settlements Body, will have the task of overseeing the reprise of negotiations aimed at finally concluding the Doha trade round during his one year term.

He replaces Norway's ambassador, Eirik Glenne.

The WTO has been mired in an impasse since last July when talks broke down notably due to the inability of the United States and European Union to reach an agreement over agricultural subsidies and tariffs.

In addition, Western and developing countries remain split on issues such as agriculture subsidies and market access.

Developing countries are demanding lower tariffs on their agricultural exports to US and European markets while industrialised nations seek greater access to developing and emerging countries for their industrial goods and services.

Last week WTO director general Pascal Lamy sought to strike an optimistic note, saying that political conditions are "more favourable for the conclusion of the (Doha) round than they have been for a long time."