WTO conference to go ahead in Doha: WTO and Qatar

WTO conference to go ahead in Doha: WTO and Qatar AFP Geneva

The World Trade Organization and Qatar repeated on Wednesday that a WTO ministerial meeting, a key step towards a new round of world trade talks, will go ahead as planned in Doha on Nov. 9-13.

The director general of the WTO, Mike Moore, and Qatar Economy and Finance Minister Yussef Hussain Kamal, expressed determination that the talks would go ahead and Moore, answering a question about possible postponement, said: "I don't think it is worth speculating (about)."

The chairman of the WTO executive council, Stuart Harbinson from Hong Kong, said that a draft ministerial statement for the Doha conference and another document on application of the last 1987-1994 Uruguay Round of tariff-cutting agreements should be ready next week.

Moore said: "We need a round today more than ever to boost confidence in the global economy, in the multilateral trading system and in international cooperation."

Kamal declared: "We can assure everyone that every measure will be taken to ensure a successful outcome at the fourth ministerial (conference)."

Some representatives from WTO countries have expressed concern about security if military operations are launched by Washington and allied countries in Afghanistan in retaliation for attacks in the United States.

Some diplomatic sources had raised the possibility of moving the talks to another place but the WTO has insisted that the conference is not threatened.

The former vice prime minister of Thailand, Supachi Panitchpakdi, who is to become the head of the WTO at the end of 2002, recently raised the possibility of postponing the conference in the event of an international crisis, but said the final decision rested with the 142 WTO members.

The United States and European Union have said that they want the conference to go ahead as planned.

Moore said that preparations were under way as planned and that logistical problems had almost been overcome.

However, he added that some difficult decisions would have to be taken because "some delegations want far too many people to come to Doha".

Qatar has offered 44,000 places and governmental delegations have sought a total of 32,000 places. The WTO, which must also find room for journalists and accredited non-governmental organizations, wants to reduce this to 27,000, sources close to the organization said.