MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

WTO: Lamy wins race for top job

Pascal Lamy of France has won the race to lead the World Trade Organization and should be appointed later this month, the head of the selection panel said yesterday.

Kenyan Ambassador Amina C. Mohamed told delegations at the 148-member WTO that she would recommend the governing General Council appoint Lamy as director-general starting Sept. 1.

??The preferences and the breadth of support provided a very clear picture of the will of the members in this final round of the selection process,'' Mohamed said, adding that Lamy is the candidate most likely to attract consensus.

Lamy's last rival ? Carlos Perez del Castillo of Uruguay ? conceded defeat. ??I would like to congratulate Pascal Lamy and to wish him the best of luck in his job ahead,'' Perez del Castillo told journalists. ??I accept the result,'' he said. ??I have requested my government to withdraw my candidacy.'' Lamy could not be reached immediately because he was in the Caribbean.

Elisabeth Perennou, his assistant at the Our Europe think tank, said Lamy told her yesterday that he will only comment after the General Council makes its formal decision May 26. ??He wants to respect the procedures,'' she said by telephone. ??He will not be making any declarations.''

Lamy's first major task as WTO chief will be to get an agreement from countries on a new round of global trade talks at a conference in Hong Kong in December, leading to a final treaty in 2006 or early 2007.

The ??Doha Round'' of treaty talks ? named after the Qatari capital where it was launched in 2001 ? aims to slash subsidies, tariffs and other barriers to global commerce, including rules restricting access for foreign service providers.

Perez del Castillo withdrew after Mohamed told the Uruguayan ambassador to the WTO that Lamy was more likely to attract consensus among the WTO's 148 member nations.

Uruguay's ambassador, Guillermo Valles Galmez, later received a standing ovation after conceding defeat on Castillo's behalf before an assembly of delegates.

Under WTO rules, Mohamed's panel had until May 31 to establish which candidate had the broadest backing. ??It is understood that the candidate or candidates least likely to attract consensus shall withdraw'' over those two months, the rules say.

Perez del Castillo said he expected no obstacles would now keep Lamy from taking up the four-year post. ??Now, let's get on with the job,'' Perez del Castillo said.

Lamy was the only candidate from a developed country, and some analysts predicted he would have difficulty gaining support from developing nations who were critical of EU trade policy during his five-year term as EU Trade Commissioner. He also got criticism from his own country during his time as EU Commissioner. The French government publicly criticized him for giving away too much on agriculture as EU trade negotiator.

In two previous rounds of consultations, WTO mediators reported Lamy had the most support. Two other candidates ? from Mauritius and Brazil ? withdrew after the panel reported to delegates that they were least likely to attract consensus.

Lamy now looks set to succeed Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand, who steps down Aug. 31.

Brazil's Luiz Felipe de Seixas de Correa ? the first candidate to withdraw from the race ? said he had hoped someone from a developing country would win the post, but that Brazil would bow to consensus opinion. ??The majority is always right,'' de Seixas Correa said. ??If the majority of developing countries don't feel that way, we will not make any difficulties.''

The fourth candidate, Jaya Krishna Cuttaree, foreign affairs and trade minister of Mauritius, said he had worked well with Lamy and he hoped Lamy ??shall be able to conciliate the concerns of the developing world with that of the developed world.'' However, Cuttaree criticized the selection process that chose Lamy because the panel keeps its criteria secret.

The process was agreed to in 2002 after the more casual approach once used to choose a leader for the organization resulted in a 1999 deadlock that was only resolved by naming two directors-general who each served three years.

??The selection process leaves a bitter taste in the mouth,'' Cuttaree told the AP by telephone from Port Louis, Mauritius. ??I think we have to look again at this process. ??It is very unfortunate that the developing world will not be able to control this organization, although maybe they are to blame because they make up two-thirds of its membership.'' Mohamed defended the selection process, which she said proved the effectiveness of the organization. ??This is especially important given what happened in 1999,'' she said. ??This time we have a director-general for four years.''