The Gulf emirate of Qatar will decide on Thursday October 18 whether to ask the World Trade Organization to seek an alternative venue for next month's ministerial conference, a senior official told AFP.
"Up to now there has been no change, we will decide our position tomorrow," the official said on condition of anonymity, refusing to give any further details. The US war on Afghanistan has raised a question mark over Doha's suitability to stage the November 9-13 gathering. Singapore has been mooted as a last-minute replacement.
However Canadian Minister of International Trade Pierre Pettigrew at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shanghai said Wednesday that the Gulf state's capital Doha was still the planned venue.
"I think our Qatar hosts have been doing an extraordinary job in preparation. I commend the Qatari government as hosts, they have been doing a hell of job," he told reporters."Obviously members are monitoring the security evolution because of the uncertainties of the region, but for the time being I have not heard of any decision being made" to switch countries, Pettigrew said.
A Japanese news agency said Singapore would step in because of fears about holding the meeting in the Middle Eastern country. Kyodo News had quoted anonymous sources at the Japanese foreign ministry as saying WTO director general Mike Moore would visit Doha to inform the Qatari government of the planned venue change. But a high-ranking Japanese trade official said the report was wide of the mark. "Preparations are under way. My understanding is that we will have the meeting in Qatar as planned," he told AFP on the APEC sidelines. — (AFP, Doha)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
