Credit: REUTERS/STAFFGENEVA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A key group of WTO ambassadors has proposed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead the World Trade Organization, trade sources told Reuters on Wednesday, clearing a path for her to become the first woman and African to head the global watchdog in its 25-year history.
The proposal, which still needs full WTO approval, caps a more than four-month selection process involving intensive lobbying which saw her square up against South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee in the final round.
The recommendation of former finance minister Okonjo-Iweala was made by three WTO ambassadors, the so-called "troika", after consulting with members in a series of closed-door meetings in Geneva as part of an intricate and opaque process that some have compared to a papal succession.
It still needs to be approved by consensus at a meeting of the WTO's 164 members.
(Reporting by Emma Farge, Stephanie Nebahay; writing by Philip Blenkinsop)
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay)
((Stephanie.Nebehay@thomsonreuters.com; +41 58 306 2161; Reuters Messaging: stephanie.nebehay.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; twitter @StephNebehay))
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