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WTO: US vetoes appointment of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, China’s choice to lead the global trade body
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recommended to lead the World Trade Organization (WTO) by Geneva officials, with backing from Africa, Europe, Japan and China
- But with the US throwing its weight behind South Korean candidate Yoo Myung-hee, there is a potential for deadlock
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The World Trade Organization (WTO) moved a step closer to appointing its next director general on Wednesday, with top officials recommending Nigerian candidate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the job at a meeting in Geneva.
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However, the United States told an informal gathering of the heads of delegations that it will not back her candidacy, meaning Okonjo-Iweala does not yet have the consensus needed to secure the job.
WTO General Council chair David Walker told the same meeting that Okonjo-Iweala is most likely to achieve consensus, having gained the backing of a sizeable majority of WTO members.
“One delegation could not support the candidacy of Dr Ngozi and said they would continue to support the South Korean minister [Yoo Myung-hee], that delegation was the USA,” said WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell.
China also took the floor at the meeting to say that it “supported the process of the troika and that the process had been well-run and they respect the outcome”, Rockwell said, the implication being that China supported Okonjo-Iweala.
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