WTO-DIRECTOR
WTO-DIRECTOR
Former EU Commissioner with Better Options to Lead WTO
Geneva, May 13 (Prensa Latina) Pascal Lamy, former Trade Commissioner for the European Union (EU) is outlined Friday as the new director of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with the preference of most of the WTO members.
Diplomatic sources said the selection commission would issue a recommendation Friday in favour of the French aspirant, after the last consulting round between the 148 nations forming this international multilateral organization.
Experts assured Uruguayan Carlos Perez del Castillo (rival of Pascal Lamy in the last part of the process) requested his withdrawal, leaving Lamy a clean way for his WTO candidature.
The process was started at the end of January, and included 4 aspirants to the post, now occupied by Thai Supachai Panitchpakdi, who was assigned at the head of the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
During the two already finished rounds, Brazilian Luiz Felipe Seixas Correa and Jayen Cuttaree, Foreign Minister of Mauricio Islands, withdraw, and dispute was centered on Perez and Lamy.
According to the procedure established, the president of the General Council pays attention to each representative of the 148 member countries, to listen to their preferences.
Kenyan Ambassador Amina Mohamed, who heads the General Council, was in charge of such an activity.
After preference for Lamy was known, the General Council would meet next week to ratify the decision, but if there are any differences, the General Council is authorized to make an exceptional voting.
The schedule says the WTO Director must be chosen before this month ends, and he would begin his mandate starting on September 1.
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