Ambassador Gosper said he had received a letter from Mr Lamy telling him about the decision. The Australian ambassador, who presides over the selection, had reminded members of the selection procedure (WT/L/509) at the General Council meeting on 14 October 2008.

The procedure requires the incumbent to declare he is a candidate for a second term by the end of November. After that, the election is open until the end of December for additional nominations.

If there are additional candidates, they will then have three months until the end of March to “make themselves known” to members, followed by two months of a selection process, ending at the end of May.

The General Council chairperson’s note and Mr Lamy's letter