SAO PAULO -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has hit back at rich countries who blamed Brazil for the collapse of global trade talks, saying little chance existed for success unless they offered greater access to agricultural imports.

"If they don't open up agriculture, we have nothing to talk about," Lula was quoted as saying in the Valor financial newspaper Friday.

His comments were the harshest from Brazil since the collapse last week of talks in Germany between Brazil, India, the United States and the European Union that were aimed at narrowing differences in the struggling Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks.

The United States and the Europeans blamed Brazil and India for the failure, saying they demanded too many concessions from rich nations on opening up their farm sectors while refusing to lower their own barriers to industrial goods.

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Lula accused Europe and the United States of demanding more from developing countries than they were offering in return.

"The bottom line was we were going to open our markets more to industrial goods and they were not going to open up to what we are most competitive in, that is in agriculture," he said.

Lula travels to Lisbon next week for a summit with European leaders where the trade dispute will be high on the agenda, followed by a visit to Brussels.

His comments were made in a speech in Brasilia Thursday to rural leaders, Valor said.

"We cannot work with them (rich nations) in the 21st century as if we were working in the 20th century," Lula said. "They need to understand that the developing countries need to have the chance to disagree with them."

The Doha round was launched nearly six years ago with the aim of freeing up world trade and helping lift millions of people out of poverty.

But it has stalled over the issue of European and U.S. farm subsidies and tariffs, as well as concerns by Brazil and India, leaders of the developing nations bloc, about opening their economies to industrial goods and services.

The Doha round risks being delayed by several years, or suffering complete collapse, without a breakthrough soon.

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