WTO Support For del Castillo

The Daily Telegraph (Australia) February 4, 2005 {http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=2613350}

AUSTRALIA will back Uruguayan Carlos Perez del Castillo to take over as director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Trade Minister Mark Vaile said tonight Australia would back Mr Perez del Castillo over fellow Cairns group member, Brazil's WTO ambassador Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa, and former EU trade commissioner, France's Pascal Lamy.

Mr Lamy, Mr Perez del Castillo, Mr Seixas-Correa and Mauritius Trade Minister Jaya Krishna Cuttaree are the four candidates to replace Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand.

Whoever succeeds Dr Supachai will both be charged with concluding the Doha round of trade talks and face pressure to reform the world trade umpire.

Mr Perez del Castillo visited Australia last year as part of his campaign to win support for the job.

There is still doubt over who will actually get the post, with Mr Cuttaree expected to win large support from small and poor nations.

Support among emerging and agricultural free trading nations is expected to be split between Mr Perez del Castillo and Mr Seixas-Correa.

Mr Vaile said Mr Perez del Castillo had the appropriate credentials to take on the job.

'He has the knowledge, experience, managerial capacity and consensus-building strengths to make a fine WTO director-general,' Mr Vaile said.

'While selecting the best person to be the director-general is important, we must also ensure that the selection process does not distract WTO members from the crucial Doha round of negotiations this year.

'We have a lot of work to do before the next WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December and we need the full attention of all members.'

Mr Perez del Castillo is a former chairman of the WTO's general council and Uruguay's ambassador to the WTO.

A vote on the new director-general will be taken in May.