The United States' media on Tuesday lashed out at the developed countries for their 'callous indifference' to the demands of the poor nations which led to the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun.

"The rich world, including the United States, Europe and Japan, should be faulted for not offering a more generous agricultural deal at an earlier date," the Washington Post said.

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However, it said, "middle income countries such as Brazil, India and China played a more pernicious role by joining much poorer countries in a bloc, claiming to share their interests and inveighing against a deal."

"There is, in short, a lot of hypocrisy all around the WTO at the moment," the paper said.

Blaming the rich nations for derailing the talks, The New York Times mentioned that Cancun meant 'snake pit' in the local language.

It said the developed world, including the US which it accused of a 'muted response,' had sent a 'crushing message' of 'callous indifference.'

It said the US, Japan along with European Union formed the 'coalition of the unwilling' that gave the meeting 'an unfortunate north-versus-south cast.'

The Washington Times said the collapse of Cancun talks was 'a failure of US trade diplomacy.'

"It is also the latest evidence of a change in the free-trade ethos around the world, which surged in the decades after World War II, but has become increasingly questioned in the last several years," the paper said.

The divide between Europe and poor countries was evident long before the Cancun meeting, The Washington Times said, adding: "America, as the leader of the free world and primary advocate of free trade, failed to induce an agreement."

"What really died on Sunday was the developed world illusion, especially in Europe, that farm subsidies are untouchable," the Wall Street Journal said.

The failure of the World Trade Organisation talks 'will yet lead to progress if this farm lesson is driven home to those parts of the European, American and Japanese economies that depend on expanding global markets.'

"Farmers account for just five percent of the European Union's population, and a mere two percent of its GDP, yet agriculture has been wagging EU trade policy for years," the Journal said.