The United States remains committed to an ambitious WTO deal on global trade even if power in Washington is now split following this week's election, Trade Representative Susan Schwab said on Thursday.
"There is a long tradition in the US of presidents reaching across the aisle to work with Congress on trade issues," she wrote in an opinion piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, after Tuesday's Democratic win.
"President George W. Bush is committed to the Doha Round, and I look forward to continuing to work with members of both parties to win support for an agreement that will spur development and alleviate poverty through new trade flows in agriculture, manufactured goods and services," she added.
"The real question now is whether other members of the World Trade Organisation can agree to lower trade barriers enough to foster new trade flows that will promote competition and economic growth."
The Doha Round on reducing global trade barriers has been deadlocked since July, owing most notably to rows between the United States, the European Union and developing countries over agricultural subsidies.
For EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, there is a "brief window of opportunity" to revive the Doha talks after the US elections, his spokesman Peter Power said on Wednesday.
But trade analysts warned that with the US Congress now under Democratic control, protectionist voices could find new influence or that the party will, at least, demand greater protections on labour rights and the environment.
Schwab noted speculation leading up to Tuesday's vote that a Democratic victory would undermine US zeal for trade liberalisation, or that the election could have enabled the United States to show more generosity at the WTO.
"Neither scenario made sense then, and now that the ballots have been cast the US is as determined as ever to move forward," she wrote.