MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU candidate closer to becoming WTO head

Former European Union Trade Commissar Pascal Lamy received this week the most support in the first round of consultations for a new head of the World Trade Organization, according to officials in Geneva.

The chairman of the selection panel Amina Mohamed from Kenya said that after two weeks of consultations, (with WTO 148 members) Mr. Lamy was ahead of Mauritian Trade Minister Jaya Krishna Cuttaree and of Carlos Perez del Castillo, former Uruguayan trade envoy to the WTO.

"We've also arrived to the conclusion that the candidate with least chances of reaching a consensus is Mr. Luiz Felipe Seixas-Correa from Brazil", added Ms. Mohamed.

According to the WTO consultation process the candidate with the less support must abandon the race, but Brazil requested a few more days to consider its position.

A second round of consultations is expected beginning next week to determine the degree of support for the three remaining candidate.

The winner must be nominated by consensus, no later than the end of May and will be replacing Supachai Panitchpakid from Thailand who ends his mandate August 31.

Mr. Pérez del Castillo has been repeatedly accused by Brazilian officials of having favoured the rich countries in the Cancun October 2003 negotiations when he was president of the WTO General Council.

"Criticism is unfair and unfounded", said the Uruguayan candidate who anticipated that if he is finally chosen he will coordinate WTO activities with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

"The Doha round, multilateralism and international trade are top of my agenda to as to ensure joint solutions for the world's poor countries", added Mr. Perez del Castillo who rebuked Brazilian criticisms arguing that the "agricultural countries supposedly affected by the Cancun document are the supporters of my candidacy".

Furthermore he argued that it's useless for poor countries to have access to rich markets if they don't have the funds or the means to solve other problems such as a competitive supply, "that is why I believe in a close coordination with the IMF and WB".