BIG SKY - Asia Pacific trade ministers discussed ways on Thursday to maintain the momentum for pushing forward the current deadlocked multilateral trade talks.

Admitting huge challenges ahead for the Doha Round, trade ministers from 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are seeking ways to break the deadlock.

"I will be holding a Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) meeting on 31 May to take stock of my consultations and chart a path forward," said WTO director-general Pascal Lamy. "There is little time available and this is why I believe we should use the TNC on 31 May to move the discussions from process into substance."

The United States, which is slated to host this year's APEC summit in Hawaii in November, put forward three priorities for the forum - strengthening regional economic integration, promoting green growth and advancing regulatory convergence and cooperation.

"We have a set of strong outcomes that will move us towards the goal of a seamless regional economy," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.

The trade ministers are expected to release a statement at the end of their meeting on May 20, followed by a press conference.