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The
United States on Wednesday spurned Nigerian former finance
minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hours after a high-powered WTO
panel recommended her to lead the global trade watchdog, teeing
her up to become its first African and first woman head.
"Nigeria will continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure
that the lofty aspiration of her candidate to lead the World
Trade Organization is realised," the country's foreign ministry
said in a statement on Thursday evening.
However, a person involved in the leadership race cast doubt on
Nigeria's plans to bring pressure to bear on Washington.
"They can push in the sense that they can get on the phone, try
to mobilise support, but is that going to change the view in
Washington? I think not," the person, who declined to be named
because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
The ministry said the WTO's 164 member states were expected to
adopt Okonjo-Iweala as the organization's director-general by
consensus, but the United States was the sole country to oppose
her, flouting the organisation's rules.
The U.S. Trade Representative's office later released a
statement officially backing the only other remaining candidate,
South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee, praising her as a
successful trade negotiator with the skills needed to lead the
trade body at a "very difficult time".
Next steps are uncertain, but a WTO spokesman said there was
likely to be "frenzied activity" before a Nov. 9 meeting, less
than a week after the U.S. presidential election, to secure the
required consensus from all 164 member states for Okonjo-Iweala.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten in Abuja, Joe Bavier in Johannesburg
and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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