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SCMP Reporter

Supachai Panitchpakdi, incoming head of the World Trade Organisation, has voiced his support for Qatar hosting the group's ministerial meeting next month amid concern by some states about security at the venue.

The comments, made yesterday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Shanghai, came as speculation mounted that the key session might be switched to another country, probably Singapore.

The city-state has offered to be a 'spare tyre' for the WTO, which is seeking to launch a fresh round of global trade liberalisation talks.

The meeting is scheduled to run from November 9 to 13.

'My plea is for all of us to make sure that we go ahead,' Mr Supachai told an audience of business executives. 'I would say it is as safe a place as anywhere else. Security has been very, very tight.'

Separately, United States President George W. Bush mentioned the Qatari capital in his address yesterday, in contrast to the communique issued on Thursday by Apec trade and foreign ministers, which omitted to name the city.

'We must also launch a new global trade round in November in Doha . . .,' Mr Bush said.

'There's much work to be done, and all of us, every nation, must redouble our efforts to see that Doha is a success.'

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Qatar's organising committee told Reuters that a task force from the WTO secretariat, headed by Jacques Chabert, had arrived in Doha earlier yesterday.

'Our stand is firm. We are going ahead with the conference as scheduled. The [WTO] delegation is staying until the end of the conference,' the spokesman said.

Several states are understood to have voiced privately in recent weeks their concern that Qatar might be unsafe for delegates, given the events of September 11 and the US-led military action against Afghanistan.

The session is seen as critical in restoring political momentum behind strengthening the multilateral trading system.

It is also expected to see the admission of China and Taiwan as full members.

The last full WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle in 1999 failed to launch a round amid disagreements between delegates on how broad the agenda should be on these trade issues.

The meeting was also dogged by extensive, violent anti-globalisation protests.

Under WTO rules, Qatar would have to agree to the moving of the meeting, an exercise trade officials say would be fraught with difficulty given the little time left before it is set to open.

Mr Supachai's intervention came as Qatari officials appeared determined to go ahead with the meeting in the Gulf state.

'Moving the conference . . . will demonstrate the fear and nervousness of the participating countries, which will be a big victory for the terrorists, as well as affecting the credibility of hosting international conferences in future,' Qatar's United Nations envoy Abdel Aziz al-Nasser was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Osama bin Laden, the Saudi fugitive blamed by the US for the attacks in New York and Washington, has issued calls for Westerners to leave the Gulf region.

There have also been isolated acts of violence - including murder - against western citizens in the region since US-led military action was launched two weeks ago.

'If this conference is not held in Qatar, then there could be negative repercussions . . . that could be considered as directed against Arab and Muslim countries, which could lead to attempts to link Islam and Arabs to terrorism,' Mr al-Nasser said.

Comments from Qatar's WTO envoy on Friday have added to the sense of confusion and uncertainty. 'I think that you will hear good news on Monday,' Shiekh Fahed al-Thani told reporters.

There is speculation that senior WTO officials will attempt to forge a compromise aimed at maximising the summit's chances of success.

One possible formula mooted by delegates at the Apec summit would be switching the session to Singapore but retaining Qatar as the chairman.

In their closing communique today, Apec leaders will once again voice their strong support for the launch of a new round of discussions.



Uncertainty looms on location of World Trade Organisation meeting as members voice security concerns