<B>Jayen Cuttaree in the race for WTO director</B>

Jayen Cuttaree is on the starting block for the post of general director of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “I think I can do it.” Actually, most WTO members believe that the post should go to somebody from a developing country. Moreover, he should benefit from the support of the Southern Africa Development Community, the African Union, and the secretary general of the French-speaking nations, Abdou Diouf, and, he says, from the African Carribean Pacific countries. However, nothing is certain for the moment. Only two candidates are on the list: Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa from Brazil and Carlos Perez del Castillo from Uruguay. But they probably won’t be the only ones. Famous figures such as Pascal Lamy, EU commissioner, Tim Groser, president of the WTO agricultural group, and Shotaro Oshima, the Japanese representative at the WTO, have also been named. However, if one of the conditions is that the new director has to come from a developing country, Jayen Cuttaree has no reason to fear his potential “opponents”.

<B>Hervé Duval, 72, dies of kidney problems </B>

Hervé Duval, honorary president of the Parti Mauricien Social Democrate (PMSD), died last week following kidney complications, one day after returning from South Africa where he had been for medical treatment. Hervé Duval was known for his commitment to trade unionism. He chaired the civil service federation for 28 years. He retired as permanent secretary of the ministry of Tourism and Emigration. He entered active politics when he was elected to the municipal council of Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill in 1983. Successively minister of Work, minister of Lands and Housing in 1983 and of Industry in 1987, he finally retired from politics in 1988 when his party left the government. When his brother Sir Gaëtan died, he became the party’s honorary president. All politicians agree on Hervé Duval’s courage and humility as well as his devotion to the welfare of the country.