6:45 AM Jul 29, 1993

GATT REORGANIZATION CONFIRMS US-EC DOMINANCE

Geneva 29 July (Chakravarthi Raghavan) -- The distribution of work among the GATT's three Deputy Directors-General, announced by GATT Director-General Peter Sutherland Thursday, shows policy-making in key areas inside the secretariat will remain firmly under the control of the Atlantic alliance.

An administrative memorandum issued by Sutherland laying out the areas of responsibility and work of his three deputies -- Warren Lavorel from the United States, Anwar Hoda from India and Jesus Seade from Mexico -- clearly bring this out.

Several developing country delegates did not want to comment, but some of them privately agreed that, on the face of it, the secretariat organizational structure strengthened impressions they had Sutherland's public statements and press interviews, and his style of informal consultations, namely, that in his agenda and vision, the US and EC (and their interests) figured high -- with Japan and the developing countries coming way behind.

Warren Lavorel, who is described as DDG1, and presumably thus the number two man in the secretariat, will head what is described as "New Policy Development" division and deal with Services, Policy Affairs, Environment and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Agriculture.

Anwar Hoda, the DDG2 is to head the division on Market Access and Rules, under which will come Tariffs, Non-Tariff Measures and Textiles -- all three falling under the Asst.D.G. Market Access and Coordination (Arif Hussain), the Textiles Surveillance Body and Rules.

Jesus Seade, DDG, will be heading the Trade Policy Research and Analysis division -- comprising Economic Research and analysis, Statistics and Information Systems, Trade Policy Reviews, Technical Cooperation and Training, and Regional and Preferential Trade, and Trade and Finance.

Sutherland has kept to himself Coordination (with the Irish R.H.O'Toole whom he brought with him as an ADG Coordination and Chef de Cabinet), Administration (under ADG K.Broadbridge from Hong Kong), Legal Affairs, Councils, External Relations and Special Adviser (ADG Linden).

The secretariat reorganization and allocations confirm what has always been the past practice, namely, key divisions and activities being put in the hands of nationals from OECD countries.

While Hoda has been given the responsibility over traditional old GATT areas -- and technically activities of immediate concern to the developing world -- under Arthur Dunkel the previous Director-General, coming as he did from the North, the number two position was held by M.G.Mathur from India -- maintaining a balance of sorts at the hierarchical level.

At that time, GATT activities did not encompass the new areas (which it would if the Uruguay Round is brought to a successful conclusion).

For the US and other industrialized countries, the interest in the GATT now and for the future, is in furthering the control of the developing world through TNCs and their investment and other activities. They are also more interested in developing new areas of activity in the future GATT -- such as on social and environmental issues, standards and their harmonization.

They are already under pressure on these from their organized labour and advocates of industrial policy role, and some environment NGOs. President Clinton and his advisors have made no secret of their thinking, nor has EC President Jacques Delors who spoke recently about social standards and social issues.

Work on providing some intellectual support and arguments for it are under way in some of their leading think-tanks and even the World Bank and other institutions -- all aimed at creating new rules and international regimes that would place more obstacles in the way of the developing world and their peoples.

The GATT secretariat division of work and responsibilities would lend support to the fears of some that despite Sutherland's statements at the TNC, at the meeting of the GATT CPs when he formally took over, about his sensitivities to concerns of developing countries, the present GATT and the future GATT will continue to be an institution run and controlled by the North and for the North and its interests.