The World Trade Organization (WTO) should confirm Qatar as host of its ministerial meeting next month, WTO director-general designate Supachai Panitchpakdi said Saturday October 20.
"We have to make sure we go ahead and hold the meeting in Qatar. We should not have second thoughts," Supachai told a meeting of business leaders on the sidelines of annual talks of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Plans by the WTO to hold the gathering in Doha, where it is due to launch a new round of trade liberalization talks, have been shaken following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11 and concerns about potential unrest in the Middle East.
The European Union and the United States said this week the choice of Qatar as host was under review because of security concerns. Singapore and Geneva were being considered as alternative venues. Supachai said he did not think there would be a risk to the security of trade ministers attending the meeting scheduled from November 9-13 amid US-led strikes against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
He explained Qatar was "significant" as a venue because it symbolized the developing nations, who have complained their interests have not been fairly reflected in past trade liberalization rounds. "I think the venue is important particularly for the present times because we want to do this in a developing country," he said.
"The Middle East nations especially have been looking forward to this meeting. I was told that Qatar had spent more than $15 million in preparing for the meeting," he added.
Supachai, who takes over as WTO director-general next year, said the general council of the 143-member global trade watchdog body had not called for a meeting to discuss possible changes to the venue. "We can interpret this to mean that up to now the venue is still Qatar," he said. — (AFP, Shanghai)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
