* Many WTO members complain US not active in Doha talks
* Delayed nominations viewed as sign US not engaged
By Doug Palmer
WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The United States needs to become much more engaged in the Doha round of world talks for the eight-year-old negotiations to reach a successful conclusion, a British official said on Monday.
"I think if you want a deal, you have to be active in the negotiations. And whether it's fair or not, I think there is a sense that there isn't that visible engagement" from the United States, British Trade and Development Minister Gareth Thomas told reporters ahead of meetings with U.S. officials.
The United States and other members of the World Trade Organization launched the Doha round in November 2001 with the goal of helping poor prosper through trade.
But a deal has remained out of reach, largely because the United States wants big emerging markets like China, India and Brazil to be clearer about what sectors they will open to more trade in exchange for Washington cutting its trade-distorting farm subsidies and remaining industrial good tariffs.
President Barack Obama has not made negotiating trade deals a major focus of his young administration but did agree with other world leaders to set a new new goal of finishing the Doha round by the end of 2010.
When the WTO held its first ministerial meeting since 2005 last week in Geneva, the Doha negotiation was kept off the official agenda so members could focus on other business without the risk of another collapse in the trade talks.
Even so, the Doha round "was the elephant in the room. It was the thing that everyone was talking about," Thomas said.
"It was striking the number of countries' ministers who spoke to me, commenting on the apparent lack of visible U.S. activity on Doha ... That was certainly the prevailing mood in Geneva last week," Thomas said.
U.S. officials say they are involved in the negotiations and have been clear about what new export opportunities they need to get from market-developing countries for a deal that will win congressional approval.
DELAY IN FILLING POSITIONS
Still, many WTO members view the delay in filling a number of key U.S. trade positions as evidence that Washington is not fully engaged in the Doha round.
Delayed nominations include Miriam Sapiro to be deputy U.S. trade representative, Michael Punke to be ambassador to the WTO and Isi Siddiqui to be chief agricultural negotiator.
The oldest is Sapiro's nomination, which dates to April. Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, has blocked a final Senate vote to pressure the administration to address a tobacco trade issue with Canada.
The Obama administration has responded by raising recent Canadian tobacco legislation at Nov 5-6 "technical barriers to trade" meeting in Geneva and holding conversations with Bunning to hear his concerns, said Debbie Mesloh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
"USTR can best fulfill its mission with a full team in place," Mesloh said.
The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on Punke and Siddiqui's nominations on Nov 4 and committee votes on those nominations could occur soon.
However, the full Senate faces a crush of business before adjourning for the Christmas holiday, making it possible it could be next year before the three are approved.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)