8:59 AM Feb 22, 1995

WTO OFFICER-IN-CHARGE AND NEW SELECTION PROCESS?

Geneva 22 Feb (Chakravarthi Raghavan) -- A consensus on the choice of a Director-General for the World Trade Organization, to succeed Peter Sutherland, continues to elude the members, trade officials said Wednesday after a brief informal meeting at the level of heads of delegations.

In what was seen essentially as a transparency exercise, the Chairman of the WTO Council, Amb. Kesavapani who held individual consultations last week with members of the WTO and of GATT contracting parties eligible to, but not yet WTO members, reported on his "head-count".

Of the 116 delegations consulted, two had no preference for any of the three candidates (Renato Ruggiero of Italy/EU, Kim Chul-Su of Korea and Salinas de Gortari of Mexico).

Of the remaining 114 who expressed a choice, Kesavapani said, 57 favoured Ruggiero, 29 favoured Kim and 28 favoured Salinas. The figures were later announced in a WTO press release.

"Let us reflect about this situation, both in Geneva and more so in capitals," the Singapore ambassador reportedly said, stressing the 15 March deadline and need for an early decision.

The Mexican ambassador, Alejandro De La Pena Navarrette, thereupon is reported to have asked Kesavapani to confirm that subsequent to Friday, one delegation had sent him "a message" expressing support for Salinas.

When Kesavapani answered in the affirmative, the Korean ambassador Seung HO is reported to have intervened to say that there was a deadline till 6 pm Friday for the consultations. If subsequent views are to be taken into account, HO reportedly added, his own delegation had received support from others and if these were taken into account "we will be many posts ahead". The EU's Amb. Jean-Pierre Leng also noted the deadline fixed earlier for the consultations and felt nothing would be gained by counts and recounts.

The General Council Chair is then reported to have said that he had given the figures in his consultations, but the basic issue was one of reaching a consensus and for them all to see whether a consensus could be reached around any particular candidate.

Kesavapani reportedly added that he would hold further consultations in the middle of next week.

Trade diplomats later said that there seemed to be a clear deadlock among the three, with Ruggiero (who has not picked up any support beyond that in earlier head-counts) and Kim who has just edged ahead of Salinas, but not by any great margin to attempt an elimination process.

Even more, they said, the US which is backing Salinas, does not seem to be ready to favour either Ruggiero or Kim, but might favour as a way out, all the three candidates quitting and the start of a new process, but not the current one of inviting candidacies.

There is some talk that even by 15 March (the date of Sutherland's mandate as the first WTO Director-General, as announced in December just before the xmas break) no solution may be found. Though this uncertainty is weighing on everyone, none of the diplomats seemed ready to broach the issue and ask Kesavapani as to what would happen on 15 March.

The Europeans who seem to feel that by not walking away from his post, but staying on in Geneva (at the request of the CPs), Sutherland has harmed their own candidate or the ability to ensure a European "right" to the WTO top job, are reported to disfavour his being asked to continue till end of June or for a term (as many developing countries, and perhaps even the US might favour).

There is even talk, though no one seems willing to say so directly, of Kesavapani as the General Council Chair taking temporary charge of the secretariat or appointing as "officer-in-charge" one of the three deputy Directors-General. The three are Indian national Anwar Hoda, the US national Warren Lavorel and Mexican Jesus Seade.