Sarkozy says will not sign WTO deal as it stands

BATZ-SUR-MER, France (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would not sign the current version of a global trade deal unless it was modified.

Talks to salvage a global trade deal faced a crunch point on Thursday after three days of scant progress and officials said it would be clear soon whether it was worth pressing on.

Rich and poor countries are at loggerheads as to who must make the next moves to break a deadlock which threatens to delay further the World Trade Organization's Doha negotiations on trade liberalization.

"We will not sign this agreement that is on the table if it is not modified," Sarkozy told reporters during a visit to western France.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Francois Murphy)