Friday, October 19, 2001 Forget Seattle, WTO told
WILLIAM KAZER in Shanghai
The World Trade Organisation has a chance to remove the "stain of Seattle" and should launch a new round of trade liberalisation talks on schedule next month, according to United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.
Mr Zoellick, referring to the disastrous WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999, also said the safety of delegates was critical, suggesting Washington would prefer a shift from the Qatar venue rather than accept a postponement.
"The WTO members have the very important opportunity of removing the stain of Seattle by launching a new round," he said on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.
"There is a strong feeling to maintain the dates early [next month]," he said, although he conceded that the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11 had created new concerns about security.
A statement issued after two days of ministerial-level meetings at the summit endorsed a new round of talks at the world trade body but pointedly omitted a reference to the Gulf state. This reference had been contained in earlier drafts.
"The first responsibility is to the safety of our delegation and our people and so it's understandable that the process is going forward to discuss that location," he said.
The WTO is scheduled to meet in Doha, capital of the oil-rich Gulf state, on November 9-13. But the terrorist attacks in the US and the US-led retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan have raised new concerns about security in the Mideast.
The Bush administration has blamed Saudi-born Osama bin Laden for the devastating attacks in New York and Washington and has focused its retaliatory attacks on the Afghan Government which has sheltered him.
Mr Bush arrived in Shanghai yesterday and is expected to lobby hard for support from forum members in his campaign against terrorism.
The WTO had hoped to set an agenda for new talks at the Seattle meeting in 1999 but member nations were badly divided over the pace of opening up world trade.
Street protests, ostensibly against the economic dislocations stemming from globalisation, disrupted the meeting, embarrassing the host city and the organisation.
Singapore has offered to substitute for Doha as the location for the November meeting if it were needed, although the island state's Trade Minister George Yeo Yong Boon insisted his government took no joy in the task.
"Singapore agreed reluctantly to be a spare tyre," he said.
"We continue to hope that our spare tyre will not be used."
Qatar has spent about US$30 million on preparations for the meeting and officials from the Gulf state have said they had not been advised of any decision to change the location.
Mr Zoellick went out of his way to praise Qatar's efforts but added: "There's also a recognition that because of events beyond its control there's uncertainty and risk.
"The key point is that one way or another we have to go ahead to launch this negotiation because it's very important for the global economy - at this point more than others.
"We have the opportunity to use trade liberalisation to boost market confidence. We can use trade liberalisation to counter the protectionism that always arises at times of economic slowdown."
The US trade official said the WTO had been falling behind the changes occurring in the global economy. Asked about specific trade initiatives, he said he hoped to see a broad agenda at next month's meeting.
It was imperative not to "pre-negotiate" the talks, he said, adding that the task was to launch a new round of negotiations, not to complete them: "The price of failing is very high for the global economy and the WTO."
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