South Korea on Monday picked its trade minister, Taeho Bak, as the country?s top choice to succeed Pascal Lamy as director-general of the World Trade Organisation.
The move comes after New Zealand nominated its trade minister Tim Groser for the top post.
Groser’s chances are grim because he comes from a developed country. The first DG of the WTO was New Zealand`s? Mike Moore.
The last date for filing nomination for the top post at the multilateral body was December 31. Lamy’s term ends on August 31.
The candidates for the post so far are Robert Azevedo, the current Ambassador of Brazil to the WTO, Herminio Blanco of Mexico, Ahmad Al Hudawi of Jordan, Alain Kyerematen of Ghana, Anabel Gonzalez of Costa Rica, Amina Mohamed? of Kenya, who is currently the deputy head of the UNEP and Mari Pangetsu, former trade minister of Indonesia. ?
Mari Pangetsu, who has favoured the multilateral Doha Round to bilateral and regional trade agreements, has a doctorate in international trade from California and is respected in international circles. There are three women candidates for the top job.
There is a feeling that Lamy?s replacement should come from a developing country, particularly Latin America, Africa or the Caribbean as Asia was represented when Thailand`s Supachai Panitchpakdi succeeded? Mike Moore as the director-general.
?However, Pascal Lamy is calling for the choice of a candidate based on merits and competence alone.
According to Lamy, the director-general of the WTO is the ?midwife? who can only order agreements or reforms in a trading system as it is a consensus based organisation. It is unlike the days of GATT when the then director-general Peter Sutherland forced heads of countries together to end the Uruguay Round that led to the forming of the World Trade Organisation.
The candidates will take part in the General Council meeting of the WTO members on January 29.?