Govt sees balanced outcome under Lamy
Govt sees balanced outcome under Lamy
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government welcomes the prospect of former European Union
trade commissioner Pascal Lamy of France in taking over the top
job in the World Trade Organization (WTO), a minister says.
Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu said Lamy was a seasoned
global trade negotiator who had a solid track record.
"He understands the interests of developing countries and has
a sense of (the importance of) development. We hope that he will
keep his promise to fight for a balanced outcome (of the WTO
negotiation rounds)," Mari said on Monday.
As the EU's trade chief from 1999 to last year, Lamy sided
with developing countries by fighting to reduce farm export
subsidies, even though his stance drew criticism from his own
country.
Mari noted that after the trade talks collapsed in Cancun,
Mexico, in 2003, Lamy worked together with former U.S. trade
representative Robert Zoellick in pushing hard to produce the so-
called July Package last year to revive the talks.
"We are now looking forward to seeing Lamy deliver the 'D' in
the DDA (Doha Development Agenda) and the 'C' in capacity
building. He must know that developing countries are in need of
capacity building," she said.
Lamy is set to replace Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand and
become the new WTO head after a selection team led by Kenyan
ambassador Amina Mohamed recommended him for the post, AFP
reported.
His rival candidate, Uruguayan diplomat Carlos Perez del
Castillo, announced last week his withdrawal from selection after
the special selection panel of three trade diplomats declared
Lamy had the most support among the WTO's 148 members.
One of the first tasks facing Lamy, 58 -- a socialist and
former French civil servant, who lists jogging, tennis and
cycling as his hobbies -- will be to help guide the WTO to
success at its next ministerial conference in Hong Kong in
December.
The conference aims to approve a draft deal on lowering
barriers to trade, opening the way for the Doha Round to be
wrapped up in 2006.
The talks on a global free trade agreement, launched in Doha,
Qatar, in November 2001, have already sailed past a planned end-
2004 conclusion date.