Four candidates from three continents seeking to lead the World Trade Organisation are to state their cases at a meeting here this Wednesday at the start of a campaign that remains too close to call. Luiz-Felipe de Seixas Correa of Brazil, Pascal Lamy of France, Jayen Cuttaree of Mauritius and Carlos Perez del Castillo of Uruguay are to appear before ambassadors representing the 148 members of the WTO, who will be convening in a special session of the WTO general council.
The four candidates are bidding to replace Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand, whose mandate as WTO director general expires August 31. His successor, however, is to be selected by consensus within the council by May 31.
"All the candidates have excellent CVs," said an ambassador from a Latin American country. "But two of them, Lamy and Perez del Castillo, have good contacts in various capitals, which could influence the decision."
Lamy, who was European Union trade commissioner until the end of last year, "knows everyone," while Perez del Castillo headed the WTO general council in 2003, the ambassador recalled.
Wednesday's session signals the launch of a four-month campaign and selection process, with candidates who fail to garner significant backing expected to drop out along the way.
"It is difficult at this stage to predict who will win," said a southern hemisphere ambassador. "It is difficult to say who is the front-runner. Some people say it is Pascal Lamy but no poll has been taken so far."
He said his government had yet to make up its mind but could do so following Wednesday's meeting, during which each candidate will have 75 minutes to explain his vision for future WTO action to oversee global trade.
"It will be an opportunity for the candidates to make their case and for us to ask questions," he added. "We want to see what the candidates have to say."
Lamy aside, all the aspirants are from developing countries, which constitute a majority within the WTO. They have argued that the next WTO director should come from a poor country, notably as the organisation in 2001 committed itself to drafting a new trade liberalisation accord aimed specifically at promoting economic development.
The next director general, who will have a four-year mandate, will be responsible for steering momentum toward a final multilateral trade agreement that the WTO hopes will be reached in 2006.
"I'm sure developing countries will be inclined to choose someone who comes from their side," noted an ambassador from an industrialised country.
Jayan Cuttaree, former Mauritian foreign minister, can bank on support from the 56-member African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) bloc.
A Latin American representative acknowledged that having two Latin American candidates in the race posed "a big problem."
"If one of the two goes out in the first round, the chances of the other will increase," he said.
He speculated that Perez del Castillo of Uruguay had the edge over de Seixas Correa, Brazil's ambassador to the WTO, because he announced his candidacy ahead of the Brazilian.
WTO members want to avoid repetition of a crisis that erupted in 1999 when the organisation was unable to decide between Supachai and his rival, Mike Moore of New Zealand. The issue was resolved by giving each man a three-year term.
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