A Latin American is set to take the helm of the World Trade Organization after the field for the agency's next director general has narrowed to Mexico's former trade minister Herminio Blanco and Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevedo, according to AP. The two are all that remains of an original list of nine candidates, the WTO announced Friday. The race pits an economist with a black-belt in karate versus a charismatic ambassador who is well-known in Geneva's international circles. Whoever is eventually selected by the end of May will take on an organization that is at a crossroads, with the future of its role as a multilateral forum for negotiations in doubt. While the Geneva-based WTO will remain an important institution for its dispute settlements and policy-monitoring functions, the rise of regional and bilateral trade functions has created doubts about whether the WTO is a place where negotiations can occur. -- SPA 20:44 LOCAL TIME 17:44 GMT تغريد
