WTO chief Lamy only candidate for next term

GENEVA — The World Trade Organization's incumbent Director-General Pascal Lamy is the sole candidate to lead the body for the next four years, officials said Monday.

The organization's 153 members did not put forward another candidate by the Dec. 31, 2008, deadline, spokesman Keith Rockwell said.

Lamy, a 61-year-old member of the French Socialist Party, will have to be confirmed by members before the end of May. If approved, his second term will start on Sept. 1.

Lamy's leadership of the World Trade Organization, which sets rules for global commerce, has been dogged by members' failure to conclude the so-called Doha round of free trade negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar's capital city, more than seven years ago.

Before becoming WTO chief, Lamy was the European Union's trade commissioner for five years, leading the EU's efforts in several high-profile disputes against the United States and developing countries.

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