The April 20 issue of the Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest (published by the published by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development) has a detailed report on the results of the first round of WTO Director-General consulations - with information on the number of countries identifying candidates as their first or second choices.
Here's the text of this story:
"DG RACE: SEIXAS OUT, LAMY 'ENJOYED HIGHEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT'
Brazilian WTO Ambassador Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa has become the first candidate to withdraw from the race to succeed Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi. WTO General Council Chair Ambassador Amina Chawahir Mohamed of Kenya reported on the first round of the selection process she is leading to an informal 15 April meeting of heads of Member delegations, describing Seixas Correa as "the candidate least likely to attract consensus."
The three remaining candidates are former EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy of France, Mauritian Trade Minister Jaya Krishna Cuttaree, and former Uruguayan WTO Ambassador Carlos Perez del Castillo. Of the three, Mohamed told delegates that Lamy "enjoyed the highest level of support" among the 142 of the 148 WTO Members that took part in the consultations, followed by Cuttaree and then Perez del Castillo. She did not specify the level of support for each candidate.
Trade sources, however, report that 60 Members reported a first preference for the Mauritian, compared to 40 for Lamy and 24 for Perez del Castillo. Fewer than ten said Seixas Correa was their candidate of choice. However, Lamy dominated second preferences among Members that made them known, with the support of over 40 delegations.
Mohamed did tell delegates that "a very small number of Members expressed concern" over Lamy's ability to head the WTO, which could potentially affect his ability to become the most likely consensus candidate. She also announced that she would start a new round of consultations -- during which preferences voiced during the first round will no longer be valid -- on 21 April.
Mohamed is assisted in these consultations by Dispute Settlement Body Chair Ambassador Eirik Glenne of Norway and Trade Policy Review Body Chair Ambassador Don Stephenson of Canada. A General Council meeting has been scheduled for 26-27 May to formally approve Supachai's successor. The next Director-General's four-year term will start 1 September.
For more on the Director-General selection process, see BRIDGES Weekly, 26 January 2005, http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/05-01-26/story1.htm.
ICTSD reporting; "Lamy ahead in WTO race, Brazil knocked out," REUTERS, 15 April 2005; "Brazilian Candidate Eliminated From WTO Leadership Race; Lamy Faces Veto Threat," WTO REPORTER, 18 April 2005."
Here's the web page for this useful newsletter: "BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest ". The April 20 issue is not posted yet.
The April 19 newsletter of the Trade Law Center for Southern Africa newsletter (Tralac) also has a short story on the results of the first consultations:
"Brazil out of race for WTO Director General Topic: C - Ongoing Trade Negotiations - WTO Author: tralac Published: 19/04/2005 Region: WTO
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