Some countries threatening to unravel WTO deal: U.S.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Some developing countries are threatening progress in world trade talks, the top U.S. trade official said on Friday, saying Washington would wait to see the final package on the table before agreeing to a deal.

"We have a tentative agreement on a path forward. There are still difficult issues ahead," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters.

"I think the biggest concern that we have is that a handful of large emerging markets really threaten this round for the rest of us."

She was speaking after ministers from around 30 WTO member countries met to discuss new compromise proposals drawn up by WTO chief Pascal Lamy to rescue the Doha round of negotiations.

They were launched in 2001 but risk further years of delay without a breakthrough now.

"The fact of the matter is each one of us will have to see how the final modalities package concludes before we can pass judgment on whether to support a final modalities package," Schwab said.

Modalities is the term used to describe the key outlines of the core agricultural and industrial goods chapters of the WTO negotiations.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer and Jonathan Lynn)