SYDNEY -- Sturdy Mike Moore, the new director general of the World Trade Organization, knows how to appreciate the privileges of office that became his due last week when he took on the powerful role of world's free-trade czar. After the bruising battle he fought to get the job, he deserves them. The Swiss ambassador who mediated the succession to the previous WTO boss Renato Ruggiero described the negotiations as "the most difficult and ugly task of my career." Normally suave Geneva-based diplomats traded aggression and personal insults during heated debates, according to insiders.

For 10 weeks the New Zealander, who for a short period headed the Wellington government and lately was the Labor Party spokesman on foreign affairs, based himself in a small Geneva pension to lobby WTO delegates. He lived there at his own expense and even told the New Zealand press that he washed his socks in the evenings in order to save money.

This frugal picture stands in contrast to the opulence of his rival, Supachai Panitchpakdi, who comes from a wealthy Thai family. The deputy prime minister goaded the Thai press into bitter criticism of Moore to the extent that allegations of racism crowded an already bitter affair. Moore, heavily backed by the United States, was seen as the First World's candidate while Supachai was painted as the developing world's hero.