RI sends high-powered team to WTO meeting
RI sends high-powered team to WTO meeting
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia has sent the biggest delegation from the developing world to the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha, while Japan becomes the largest delegation, a news agency quoted the organization Friday.
Indonesia sent 60 representatives, while Japan has 159 delegates, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell was quoted by AFP as saying during a news briefing hours before the formal opening of the five-day conference in the Qatari capital.
The second largest delegation is France with 75 delegates, followed by Canada which has sent a team of 62.
Indonesia's delegation is larger than the United States which at fifth place sent only 51 delegates.
India, which is one of the vocal voices among the developing countries criticizing the WTO, sent only 48 delegates, according to the news agency.
The report however was categorically denied by Eddy Suryodiningrat, the head of the Indonesian mission in Doha.
"That is untrue," he told The Jakarta Post.
"As of the opening day the Indonesian delegation consists of about 32 people," he said. "And we don't expect more."
The Indonesian delegation is being led by Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi, who is being aided by the ministry's Director General for the Cooperation of International Industry and Trade, Hartanto Reksodipuro, and Indonesia's Ambassador to the WTO Halida Miljani.
Eddy further denied suggestions that Indonesian entourage may include family members of the delegation such as their spouses.
According to Eddy, only the top members of the delegation were being accommodated in luxury five-star hotels.
"Only five rooms were booked (for five-star hotels), while the rest are being accommodated in midrange hotels," he said adding that all WTO delegations attending the meeting are being self- funded by their respective governments."
Eddy does not know where the AFP acquired its estimate of 60 Indonesian delegates.
In total, 2,641 delegates, 388 representatives of non- governmental organizations and 808 journalists are attending the conference.
"The number of delegates attending this meeting is very similar to the number attending at Seattle," Rockwell said, referring to the last WTO ministerial gathering in the west coast US city in 1999.
At that meeting, 2,700 journalists were accredited, and 1,300 non-governmental organization representatives from 650 bodies, he told reporters.