Indonesia has nominated its ex-trade minister to run for the World Trade Organisation's top post, hoping she would bridge the gap between developing and developed countries, a senior official said Friday. Mari Pangestu, 56, who held the position of trade minister for seven years from 2004 to 2011, was a respected figure at the WTO forum but seen by some critics in Southeast Asia's largest economy as overly liberal.

Current WTO chief Pascal Lamy will step down in August 2013. "Indonesia as a developing country and also a member of G-20 hopes that her nomination will bridge the interest of developing countries and developed countries in WTO," presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP by telephone, confirming the submission of nomination. "Gender wise, surely it will be very good if the forum is led by a woman," he added. Pangestu is now serving the post of tourism and creative economy minister.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012