Chile has informed the World Trade Organization that it is no longer interested in hosting the WTO's next ministerial meeting, which is due to take place later this year, Chile's top trade official in Geneva told BNA Jan. 18. Ambassador Alejandro Jara said that his government has notified WTO Director-General Mike Moore that it would "not materialize" an offer to act as host....Trade officials, however, suggested that Chile was backing away from acting as host in order to avoid an embarrassing spat
with Qatar, which is the only one of the WTO's 140 members to so far formally offer to stage the meeting. Qatar, however, warned WTO members Jan. 5 that it might withdraw its offer to hold the meeting in the capital

Doha unless a decision on the venue was made by Jan. 26. Qatar's offer has strong backing from the WTO's Arab and Islamic members. No country has
openly objected to holding the ministerial in Qatar, although some trade diplomats are understood to be concerned that the Gulf state has not been a vocal proponent of the WTO's free-trade agenda. The host country's trade minister normally chairs the ministerial plenary as well as the important informal "green room" meetings where compromises are brokered among key players.

Trade officials said that the WTO's General Council was expected to hold a special meeting on Jan. 24 in order to consider the next ministerial venue. If a decision is not made and Qatar withdraws its offer, the ministerial could go by default to Geneva, the home of the WTO's Secretariat. Geneva hosted the WTO's second ministerial meeting in May 1998...

(Excerpts from: WTO Reporter Friday, January 19, 2001 ISSN 1529-4153 News)