29 January 2004	Thursday	06 Zilhaj 1424

WASHINGTON: Consensus on how to reform the embattled World Trade Organization (WTO) will not be easy to achieve, if a survey of experts is any indicator.

Questioned by the Bretton Woods Committee, a public education group that studies global financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), nine world- renowned economists appeared split on the priorities for reforming global trade, with some even arguing reform is not necessary.

Over the past four years, two WTO ministerial conferences have collapsed while the volume and rancour of trade disputes has exploded. Frustrated member states have increasingly shunned the multilateral forum in favour of bilateral and regional trade pacts. But the most recent resounding breakdown of the trade system came in Cancun, Mexico in September, when a group of developing nations revolted against the established order.

That led many stakeholders to reflect on possible ideas of reform. European officials, for example, complained that the WTO needed an institutional overhaul, but scaled back their critique in late October, saying the world body required a tune-up rather than a rebuild.

Civil society groups have maintained the system needs to be more inclusive of workers' rights and environmental protection, while poor nations argue for more say in setting the WTO agenda.

The United States stepped up its pursuit of bilateral trade deals. And now the experts interviewed by Bretton Woods have come up with a grab bag of proposals.

The WTO's dispute resolution process should be open to public scrutiny, said Charles Kolb, president of the Committee for Economic Development, an independent business group.

"Such openness will engender greater public trust in, and acceptance of, the WTO, in a manner that will assuage concerns and simultaneously build greater public support," he added.-Dawn/The InterPress News Service.