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.