A group of banana-producing nations threatened to block the WTO's long-delayed global trade pact if Europe and Latin America press ahead with proposals to shake up banana import tariffs, the minister representing the grouping has said.

"We will block the (WTO) negotiations if our latest counter-proposal is not accepted," Cameroon's Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, spokesman for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) trade grouping, told AFP.

His comment referred to the ACP's bid to amend an agreement by the European Union to lower banana import tariffs for certain Latin American states. ACP countries fear it will harm the competitiveness of their banana industries.

ACP delegates met with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson Sunday to push for higher tariffs than those agreed in the bilateral deal between the EU and a grouping of 11 Latin American banana-exporting states.

The ACP said in a statement after the meeting that it had told Mandelson the EU-Latin American proposal was "not acceptable" and offered a "last couter-proposal."

This proposed a cut in tariffs to 117 euros per tonne by 2016 - from 176 euros per tonne currently - rather than to 114 euros as agreed in Saturday's bilateral deal.