18 April 2005

Former EU trade chief ahead in race to lead WTO

The following article is excerpted from the 15 April 2005 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

Former European Union trade chief Pascal Lamy took the lead… in the race to head the World Trade Organization after a first round of consultations that saw the Brazilian contender knocked out.

The chairman of the selection panel, Kenyan ambassador Amina Mohamed, said Lamy had more support than Mauritian Trade Minister Jaya Krishna Cuttaree and Carlos Perez del Castillo, former Uruguayan trade envoy to the WTO,…..

``Lamy had the highest level of preferences and the most broad support,'' Mohamed said. ``The candidate least likely to attract consensus was the candidate from Brazil.'' …

The WTO aims to find a successor to current Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi by the end of May.

Disputes marked the last he last election, in 1999, when New Zealand's Mike Moore and Supachai ended up serving three years each, the WTO is desperate for a peaceful transition.

Members fear that similar disputes this time around could delay the WTO round of free-trade negotiations, with trade ministers due to conclude key pacts in Hong Kong in December. …

Lamy, 58, a French Socialist, was head of French bank Credit Lyonnais before becoming EU trade commissioner. He struck up a close working relationship with his former U.S. trade counterpart, Robert Zoellick, who has since moved over to become the second-ranking official at the State Department.