Pérez del Castillo goes to Brussels
Uruguayan WTO Director-General candidate, Carlos Pérez del Castillo, was in Brussels Tuesday (3-15) addressing the European Parliament's Trade Committee.
The EU is committed to Pascal Lamy of France, but the Trade Committee has invited the other three candidates to state their cases. This may matter because, during the consultation process by which the candidates are selected, second choices are often important.
The southern South American press service, MercoPress, reports:"WTO leadership candidate makes case to EU"
"...He said the next WTO chief should be able to guide current world trade talks to get a deal that ��reflects the interests of all members,�� implying that former EU Trade Commissioner Lamy would not do so.
He added that the other two candidates � Jaya Krishna Cuttaree, the foreign affairs and trade minister of Mauritius, and Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa, Brazil�s ambassador to the WTO � did not have broad enough backing. P�rez del Castillo said he would ensure poorer countries get more flexibility in delaying implementation of trade rules, which he said often did not take into account the needs of developing economies.
P�rez del Castillo said last November the top job should go to either a Latin American or an African.
He said neither continent had been given a chance since the creation of the WTO a decade ago � or since its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, began in 1948. He said he was in favor of ensuring a drop in tariffs and duties in all areas of trade, leaving no room for protected sectors like services or agriculture, which have been sensitive points of contention in the current trade round..."
Here's another report from EUobserver.com: "MEPs to hear all WTO Candidates, despite backing Lamy".
"...The Uruguayan candidate urged the EU to "harness all efforts" to ensure a successful conclusion to Doha round - opened in 2001 - in Hong Kong this year, but warned that expectations should be lowered.
"I wouldn't call it a development round", he said... If victorious, Mr Castillo said he would not carry out thorough reforms in the organization, which Mr Lamy criticized as being "medieval". "There are things the WTO can do and there are things the WTO cannot do and should not do", he stated, advocating instead for more work to be carried out in the Geneva headquarters instead of high-profile ministerial summits. Drawing attention to the "need to improve the WTO's image before the public view in general", he assured that, if victorious, his door "will always be open" to NGOs..."
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