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Preparations for WTO Conference in Qatar Overshadow Agenda
GENEVA, Oct 22 (IslamOnline & News Agencies)- The World Trade organization (WTO) announced it would proceed with preparations to hold a key ministerial conference in Qatar from November 9-13.
There were initial speculations that the venue may have changed to Singapore because of security fears as WTO ministers tried to reach an agreement on an agenda for a new round of trade liberalization negotiations.
Delegations of the WTO's 142 members continued the groundwork at the Geneva headquarters of the global trade body on the draft declaration designed to serve as a basis of ministers' talks in Qatar.
"We are going ahead. I am confident with the planning and preparations here in Doha," WTO Director-General Mike Moore said after a two-day meeting with Qatari officials in Doha and released as a written statement in Geneva.
But he added a cautionary note.
"If something seismic or catastrophic happens we will reconsider," said Moore. "But we're planning to come here to Doha in just over two weeks time. Our planning and our wish is to be here in couple of weeks to have a successful meeting for the ministers."
Moore, who spoke to reporters at the airport before flying out, said he was "confident" the conference would "achieve its goals with all the facilities offered by Qatar."
Moore arrived Saturday to complete preparations for the meeting and held talks with Qatari Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassam al-Thani and other officials.
His comments confirmed what WTO Director of Administrative Services, Jacques Emile Chabert, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an interview on Sunday that, "The instructions I have are to finalize preparations for this conference."
Since the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, reports have spread that the WTO would switch the venue away from the close proximity of Afghanistan for security reasons.
The European Union and the United States said last week the choice of Qatar as host was under review. Singapore, Mexico and Davos have all been proposed as safe alternatives.
Chabert, who heads a WTO delegation that has been visiting Qatar since Friday to oversee conference readiness, admitted, "The situation has changed since September 11 and it was unavoidable that questions would be raised about holding the conference."
But he stressed, "The choice of the venue of the conference has been taken by our general council unanimously. Changing it would require a consensus among member states, but there is no problem about it now."
Chabert ruled out a last minute move saying, "Technically-speaking, it is impossible to organize a conference [elsewhere] within three weeks," he said, praising Qatar's efforts as "impressive".
Some 4,500 people are due to attend the meeting, including 600 non-governmental organizations and 700 journalists.
Qatar earlier this month finished hosting a conference of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which met to discuss the current war on Afghanistan and the situation in Palestine.
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