EP - WTO candidate Cuttaree champions fair trade

Jaya Krishna CUTTAREE, the Foreign and Trade Minister of Mauritius, presented himself as a "conciliator" able to "build bridges" between the countries of the north and the south, when he appeared before the European Parliament's International Trade Committee on 19 April in Brussels. "My mission would be to bring about an overall agreement for the fair and balanced development of trade to guarantee prosperity for all", said Mr. Cuttaree, who is a candidate for the post of Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Replying to MEPs' questions, he said he had already played an active role in reconciling the positions of the G90 countries (the African Union states, the least developed countries and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states) and those of the developed countries, in the wake of the failure of the Cancún ministerial meeting in September 2003.

Although he is in favour of free trade, Mr. Cuttaree does not believe that better market access will solve all Africa's problems. Sustainable development must be reconciled with the goal of free trade, said the minister, who is also an expert on the environment. Other international institutions like the European Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund must work together to support better integration of trade in development strategies, he added.

Mr. Cuttaree urged more transparency in the way the WTO operates, although he acknowledged that "no one knows exactly what should be done".

Quizzed on the prospects for an agreement on the Doha Round in December this year in Hong Kong, Mr. Cuttaree said there was no need to set a deadline which "would raise too many expectations". "We have the skeleton of an agreement", said the Mauritian minister, referring to the August 2004 agreement of the WTO Council. "Now we must put some flesh on the bones". He went on: "We must focus on agriculture. Negotiations are under way at the WTO and are making good progress". "Everything will depend on the attitude of those taking part; if we carry on like this, we will be able to succeed", he concluded.

Two other candidates are still in the running for the post of WTO Director-General. Uruguayan Ambassador Carlos PEREZ DEL CASTILLO answered questions at the EP International Trade Committee on 15 March this year. Pascal LAMY, the French former European Trade Commissioner, will appear before the committee in May. The post is currently held by Supachai PANITCHPAKDI of Thailand, whose term of office ends on 31 August 2005.

19.04.2005 Committee on International Trade
In the chair: Enrique BARÓN CRESPO (PES, ES)

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