Brussels/Geneva, 26/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The choice - still provisional - of Qatar as the host for the next ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (5-9 November 2001) raises very heated reactions among the representatives of civil society, which fear possible heavy handed reaction from the Doha regime against the "Seattle" type demonstrations.
It is "scandalous", say "Friends of the Earth" and "Human Rights Watch, American section", suspecting that the intention is to "prevent public demonstrations at the event." "A small repressive Gulf State: what a perfect place to plot how to force new rules on world trade onto angry citizens around the world?", feel the NGOs, when recalling the "severe restriction on freedom of assembly and association" identified by the State Department, in its first report on human rights in Qatar. If it is confirmed, the choice would signal, according to Human Right's Watch, that "it is okay to build a global economy on the foundation of repression - exactly the opposite of the message the WTO should be pronouncing".
The political decision, arose at the start of the week and was welcomed by the Union, will probably be endorsed next Tuesday by the WTO General Council, given that the candidates have hardly tussled, since the eye opening experience in Seattle, to host this 4th ministerial. Some member countries were approached, like South Africa, Brazil and Chile. But in vain. Santiago first of all proposed to raise the challenge but then finally renounced this idea, giving its insufficient financial means and assets as a reason for not doing so. There remains Geneva, which used the pretext of a host of events going on during that period, and Doha. WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell recalled that the Qatar authorities would be obliged to keep the rules of the WTO to establish a centre for NGOs and to authorise those with the necessary accreditation to meet the press and the delegations.