New York Times | October 17, 2001 | By ELIZABETH OLSON
GENEVA - Indications are growing quite strong that the World Trade Organization's conference in November, meant to start a new round of global trade talks and formally accept China as a member, will be relocated to Singapore from Doha, Qatar, because of fears about security in the Middle East.
But because of political sensitivities, trade officials appear to be holding off announcing a move until the Qatar government can take the first step, by formally withdrawing its offer to play host to the conference. Qatar's cabinet will meet in Doha on Wednesday.
A report by the Kyodo news service in Tokyo, citing unnamed Japanese Foreign Ministry officials, said a move to Singapore was certain. Concerns have been raised repeatedly, but unofficially, by trade envoys since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
The issue is so touchy that few want to address it publicly, least of all the United States, which uses military bases in Qatar. Today's session of the trade group's General Council avoided the topic until it was raised briefly in a question. Afterward, the Canadian envoy, Sergio Marchi, said, "It's fair to say that we'll see something in the days to come."
After the mass demonstrations and street violence at the W.T.O. conference in Seattle, Qatar was the only country to volunteer to play host this year. "There has to be a kind of face-saving for them," said one W.T.O. official, referring to Qatar. "Otherwise, we will have the whole Arab world against us."
Delegates to a lower-level gathering in Singapore last weekend discussed a move, and some envoys came away with the strong impression that American delegates would not be going to Doha. "Nobody wanted to pull the plug, but everyone is scared," one American official said.
Both Robert B. Zoellick, the United States trade representative, and Pascal Lamy, the European Union's trade commissioner, have called for the meeting to go ahead on the scheduled dates, Nov. 9-13.
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