France's Lamy top candidate for WTO chief post
AFP, Geneva
Pascal Lamy of France is leading in the race to head the World Trade Organization, in front of three other nominees, the head of the selection process said Friday. Lamy, the former European Union trade chief, emerged as the top candidate in the first round of consultations with member states, said Amina Mohamed, Kenya's ambassador to the WTO. The foreign minister of Mauritius, Jayen Cuttaree, ranked second. Uruguay's former trade ambassador Carlos Perez del Castillo was third, she told journalists. The Brazilian candidate, Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa, stands last. He is the candidate "least likely to attract consensus" among the WTO's 148 member nations, said Mohamed. Outing WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand ends his term on August 31. His replacement is expected to be picked by May, after several rounds of closed-door consultations steered by Mohamed and her counterparts from Norway and Canada.
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