PARIS, May 23 (AFP) - Industrial nations acknowledge the growing influence of the developing world on their economies this week when the two sides gather to discuss trade and other issues for the first time ahead of an OECD annual ministerial meeting. "It is increasingly apparent that the OECD members must relate to a much greater universe than it has in the past" in the wake of the Asian, Brazilian and Russian crises, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development secretary general Donald Johnston told a press conference. The decision by the 29 OECD ministers to meet representatives of seven non-members -- Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Slovakia -- is all the more significant as this year's ministerial meeting will devote much of its time discussing a new round of global trade talks under the World Trade Organisation, due to be launched in November. The meeting with developing countries makes this year's OECD annual session a "watershed ministerial", Johnston said. "It is increasingly apparent that the OECD members must relate to a much greater universe than it has in the past .... events which happen outside the OECD have enormous consequences" for OECD members. "OECD countries can lead by example in resisting protectionist pressures, maintaining open markets, and maintaining the momentum of (trade) liberalisation," an agenda paper prepared for ministers said. "The challenge is to prepare win-win strategies for a new round of international trade negotiations." Developing countries have been reticent about making new market opening efforts in a new global trade round, because they say they need more time to digest the last round of changes, and the shock waves from the global financial crisis. The OECD ministers will also be discussing the new WTO round when their two-day annual ministerial meeting begins on Wednesday. Some measure of the importance of this issue for member countries is the fact that US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky will be heading the US delegation to the meeting. OECD members differ on how extensive the new round of global trade talks should be, and several are embroiled in tense bilateral trade rows at the moment, notably the United States and European Union with disagreements over bananas and hormone-treated beef. "There could be contentious debate here" about trade issues, a senior US official said. "Ministers are going to raise whatever they want to raise; they are going to try to reach more agreement on the modalities and the scope" of a new WTO round, but "I don't know how much agreement there will be coming out of here." The United States will also be pressing its case for the EU and Japan to take action to boost domestic demand-led growth and take over from the United States as the chief engine of world economic growth after the US trade deficit rose to a record high last year, a level Washington says is unsustainable. The OECD ministers will also discuss electronic commerce, sustainable development, and the general economic outlook for the industrial economies. The meeting is to be chaired by Mexico, the only Latin American member of the OECD.  