The World Trade Organization is on the point of selecting a new chief as early as Friday. This time former European Union trade commissioner Pascal Lamy is involved in severe competition with veteran Uruguayan trade diplomat Carlos Perez del Castillo. In the first round, there were four candidates struggling for the WTO’s top position, three of them representing developing countries.

The victor would assume office Sept. 1 starting the guidance of the so-called Doha Round of international trade talks. All the WTO’s trade ministers are going to arrange a summit in Hong Kong in December that will symbolize a new dramatic stage of the trading negotiations.

In the current selection process, a group of trade diplomats headed by Kenyan ambassador Amina Mohamed interviews each nation about its opinions of the candidates and then decides which one has the most support. Pascal Lamy is said to have the upper hand, though Carlos Perez del Castillo should still be taken into consideration.

On Thursday, Mr. Lamy has gone to the Caribbean in order to raise support among developing nations.

The two candidates expect to be informed of the results by Friday as the diplomats announced.