Geneva (AFP)

The WTO unsurprisingly postponed its Monday meeting in which its members were to attempt to agree on the name of a new director general, but with little hope of success due to the blockade of states. United.

In recent days, voices have been raised to demand this postponement, with many believing members of the World Trade Organization have little hope of reaching an agreement as long as the White House remains occupied by Donald Trump. , virulent critic of the organization.

The president of the selection committee ended up agreeing with this opinion, affirming that for "reasons including the health situation and the current events, the delegations will not be able to take a formal decision on November 9" and postponing the meeting "until further notice", according to a document obtained by AFP and then confirmed by the WTO.

"It's a good thing", responded to AFP a European diplomat stationed in Geneva.

Eight candidates - five men and three women - were vying to take over the head of the WTO, an institution in crisis and under attack by the Trump administration in the midst of the global economic slump.

After a six-month selection process, the succession committee for Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who left a year before the end of his term for family reasons, announced on October 28 that the best candidate placed for consensus was Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who calls herself Dr Ngozi.

But the United States blocked her path, supporting her rival, South Korean Yoo Myung-hee, the first woman to have served as her country's trade minister.

The WTO "must be led by a person with real and practical experience in the field," said the US Trade Representative (USTR), in a veiled criticism of Ms. Ngozi, who has never been Minister of Commerce.

- "Net breaking" -

With Joe Biden in the White House, the United States would be more likely to rally around Ms. Ngozi, Dmitry Grozoubinski told AFP, at the head of ExplainTrade, a Geneva consulting firm specializing in trade.

"It would be a real symbol of the clean break" that Biden would like to implement, explained this former Australian trade diplomat at the WTO.

The entourage of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance of Nigeria still believes in the latter's chances of becoming, at 66, the first woman and the first African to take the reins of the WTO.

"She is ready to get to work as soon as possible," her entourage told AFP after the announcement of the postponement.

The WTO has been deprived of a leader since the departure of Mr. Azevedo at the end of August, and is headed by its 4 deputy directors, the countries not having managed to agree that one of them should do the interim.

The German Karl Brauner was expected by most of the members, but the Americans had demanded the nomination of their compatriot Alan Wolff.

The selection process for the director general was due to end around November 7, but that was without counting on the refusal of the United States, the only country to have openly refused to support Ms. Ngozi.

"There is little point in starting a standoff now. Better to wait until changes are possible," a Western diplomat told AFP.

Even with Joe Biden in the White House, many WTO observers believe that no decision will be made at least until the end of January, given that the next president will not be sworn in until January 20.

"I expect Mr. Biden to be more pro-multilateralism," Peter Ungphakorn, former staff member of the WTO Secretariat, told AFP.

"So even if the United States will continue to have reservations about how appeals are handled in dispute settlement, I would be surprised if they block the selection of the new CEO - unless something is wrong. really unfavorable to be revealed about Okonjo-Iweala, "he added.

A vote is theoretically possible but such a procedure has never been used.

In 1999, because of a disagreement, the countries preferred to divide the mandate into two years for the two candidates, rather than resorting to a vote.

© 2020 AFP