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Who will finally head the WTO?
The contest to head the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has entered its final stage as senior diplomats started consultations aimed at deciding whether former European Union trade chief Pascal Lamy or Uruguay?s Carlos Perez del Castillo will get the post.
Amina Mohamed, Kenya?s WTO ambassador, started a series of one-on-one meetings with representatives of the organisation?s 148 members after whittling down the original list of four candidates in recent weeks Mohamed heads the selection team for the new WTO director-general, helped by the ambassadors of Canada and Norway. She told the media on Monday she expected to complete the round of consultations by late Thursday, but gave no further details. Outgoing WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi ends his term on August 31. His successor must be chosen by the end of this month.
The final round could set the stage for a north-south showdown, or a scramble for the support of developing countries who could play the role of kingmaker. Lamy, of France, formally has the support of the 25 EU member states. Paris has pressed francophone African countries to swing behind him, according to diplomats, and he is set to tour the continent this week. Perez del Castillo is formally backed by most Latin American countries and members of the Cairns Group of major farm exporters, including Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Times of India
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