BANGKOK, March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Supachai Panichaphakdi, director-
general-designate of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has said
that he is determined to boost the power of developing countries
in the trade body while castigating those developed countries
which suppress the voices of their less-developed counterparts.
   Supachai, a former Thai deputy premier who is due to take over
the helm of the WTO from New Zealander Mike Moore in September
this year, was quoted by the Thai News Agency Wednesday as saying
on Tuesday that he will work to increase the role of WTO's
developing members, which account for 110 seats in the 144-seat
global body.
   To this end, he said that during his three-year term, he will
request funding for technical assistance from international
organizations such as the United Nations, since presently the WTO
itself lacks a budget for such programs.
   The WTO's next leader said that he will work to ensure that all
members of the organization are placed on an equal footing so that
developed countries will not enjoy an unfair advantage.
   "Developing nations will be given the opportunity to pull
themselves up, and will not, as in the past, be forced into
restrictive conditions without being allowed sufficient say on the
matters in hand," he noted.
   In particular, Supachai said that developing nations will be
ensured of fairness in terms of rules governing the trade of
agricultural goods and fabric, and in terms of ease of entry into
the organization.
   In addition, he said the WTO will play an increasingly
important social role in order to avoid global opposition to its
activities and charges of being a purely economic organization.
   Supachai singled out the case of the rules governing the sale
of medicine in developing countries, saying that the WTO will have
to listen to the concerns of developing countries and non-
governmental organizations about the high price of medicines
produced by patent-holding western drug companies.
   Referring to the operation of the WTO itself, he said he wants
to see the steps involved in decision-making reduced, and does not
wish to see the WTO acting as the world's economic supervisor, as
this exceeded its role.  Enditem