By HELENE COOPER THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON -- World Trade Organization officials might move next month's ministerial meeting from Qatar amid fears of terrorism, according to U.S. and global trade officials.
Singapore said it is willing to host a scaled-down version of the meeting if WTO officials decide it isn't safe to meet in Qatar. Trade ministers from 141 countries are scheduled to gather in Doha from Nov. 9 through Nov. 13. Trade officials also are looking at Geneva and Davos, Switzerland, as possible alternates, although one WTO official said Switzerland may be less desirable because it is more likely to attract antiglobalization protesters.
At a preparatory meeting in Singapore this past weekend, several trade ministers expressed concern about safety in Qatar. Ironically, trade officials chose Qatar because they hoped the tiny emirate would discourage antiglobalization protesters from ruining their meeting, as they did in 1999 in Seattle. But the threat of terrorism dwarfs worries about protests.
"It's no secret that Doha is located in the vicinity of what is today considered a war zone," European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy told reporters in Singapore. Added Mike Moore, the WTO's director-general: "Everyone everywhere should be concerned about security because the world changed fundamentally on Sept. 11."
Publicly, U.S. officials have been much more muted than their counterparts about moving the meeting from Qatar. Some Bush-administration officials argue that switching the venue could alienate the moderate Arab countries the U.S. is trying to woo in its campaign against terrorism.
But other U.S. officials, as well as some lower-level staff members who would attend the meeting as part of the U.S. delegation, argue that safety should come first.
The Qatar government has indicated it still wants to hold the meeting. Reuters quoted a senior Qatar official as saying that "Qatar is one of the safest places to hold such a meeting."
U.S. and EU trade officials hope to use the meeting to launch a new round of trade talks.
Clinton-administration officials tried to do that in Seattle, but those plans failed after developing countries refused to sign onto the pact.
U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Zoellick told reporters in Singapore that WTO officials were getting closer to agreement on a new round and that next month's meeting shouldn't be postponed.
"There is a strong sense among ministers that the WTO ministerial must go forward on time," he said.:
