SUPACHAI INDICATES KEY HIGH-LEVEL GATHERINGS ON ROAD TO CANCUN
WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi has expressed his intent to take advantage of several key international meetings during the coming months to "mobilise stronger political input" into the Doha round of negotiations. The meetings include the OECD annual ministerial meeting in late April, the APEC trade ministers’ meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in June and the G-8 summit in Evian, France, in June. The OECD meeting will gather 40 trade ministers, including the trade ministers of the 30 OECD member countries as well as key developing non-member partners, from 29-30 April. Egypt will further host a WTO "mini-Ministerial" in Sharm El Sheik, reportedly from 21-22 June. Supachai indicated his intention to harness these meetings to gather momentum for the WTO negotiations in conjunction with WTO Trade Negotiations Committee meeting held from 2-4 April (see BRIDGES Weekly, 10 April 2003). Denmark is also planning to host a high-level meeting on trade and development in Copenhagen on 27 April, bringing together key developing countries as well as donor countries, all with stakes in the Doha process.
ICTSD reporting; "Trade Officials End WTO Meeting On Doha With Few Signs of Progress," WTO REPORTER, 7 April 2003; "WTO Eyeing Ministerial Meeting in April to Narrow Gap," JIJI PRESS, 29 March 3002.