RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/134
1 February 1999
(99-0359)
General Council
9-11 and 18 December 1998Original:  Spanish
STATEMENT BY CHILE ON BEHALF OF GRULAC AT
THE MEETING OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
ON 18 DECEMBER 1998
The following communication dated 18 January 1999, has been received from the delegation
of Chile, with the request that it be circulated to WTO Members.
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1. On behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean  Group, I wish to express some views at this
stage concerning the process of appointment of the new Director-General.
2. We appreciate the information provided by Ambassadors Lafer and Rossier on the current
tendencies.
3. As a large number of delegations have already said, this information was essential in order to
enable the process to be carried forwards successfully.  We therefore appreciate the effort made by the
coordinators in what we recognize to be a complex and difficult task.
4. We urge Members who have not yet done so to express their opinions and preferences as
rapidly as possible.
5. Mr. Chairman, we are convinced that the search for consensus should enable us to arrive at an
appointment that has the strength of widespread backing and the legitimacy of our common will.  We
therefore wish to express our confidence in the difficult and painstaking work of Ambassadors Lafer
and Rossier, whose efforts, combined with th e generalized expression by Members of their
preferences, should result in the appointment of the Director-General before the year is out.
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