WTO Panel Warned of Protectionism Threat - washingtonpost.com

Ambassadors of several developing nations warned the review body that trade distortions were building because of economic recovery and bank rescue plans in rich nations. Bhatia, for instance, said "clarifications are necessary" on how such plans could affect competitiveness, Agence France-Presse reported.

Lamy said WTO experts have had trouble tracking measures taken or under consideration among the WTO's 153-member governments because of a lack of official information. He called on governments to be more forthcoming so the review body could get an accurate picture and publish timely alarms if necessary.

"One of the problems dealing with services is the information deficit that we have about what governments are doing, what regulators are doing, what measures are being taken," a Lamy lieutenant, Hamid Mamdouh, told reporters at a WTO briefing Friday.

WTO Panel Warned of Protectionism Threat - washingtonpost.com