GENEVA ~ Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu expressed deep disappointment on Tuesday at the collapse of world trade talks, saying that developing countries had been willing to compromise to get a deal.

“We were all ready to compromise. We are therefore deeply disappointed and … regret that those who could have gone the extra mile did not go the extra mile. The opportunity to negotiate never came,” she said.

Indonesia is coordinator for the G33 group of developing countries.

Pangestu said she did not understand why the so-called Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) issue was insurmountable, and that it was a “very reasonable request” and a “reachable compromise”.

The SSM is a measure to protect poor farmers that would have imposed a special tariff on certain agricultural goods in the event of an import surge or price fall.

Key trading powers failed to agree on the mechanism, resulting in a collapse in negotiations.