The Doha round of world trade talks may yet yield a deal, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said Monday as he slammed the United States and Europe for holding the process to ransom.

"In the end, neither (United States) President (George W) Bush nor the European Union (EU) want to admit to a failure. And I suppose admitting to a failure is worse than sort of getting some kind of a deal, so there may still be something coming out of it." he told reporters in Cape Town on the fringes of a Commonwealth education ministers' meeting.

But he said he doubted the round would emerge with a comprehensive agreement on agriculture.

McKinnon flayed the United States and the European Union for putting a spoke in the wheel.

"It is just dismal, the fact that these two very wealthy entities ... can persist in supporting agricultural commodities, growing them at five times the world price and therefore totally distorting the world.

"The same entities would pour scorn on any African country that said: 'I'm going to build motor vehicles at five times the world price', but they are doing exactly the same."

McKinnon said the Commonwealth would keep up pressure for a successful conclusion to the Doha round of trade liberalisation talks, which ended in deadlock five months ago.

"There must be a resolution to the round. This must be a development round."