Eat bananas, trade chief urges staff

THE World Trade Organisation's marathon-running chief has urged his staff to eat bananas to sustain themselves through long negotiations – in which tariffs on the fruit are among the most contentious issues.

Pascal Lamy asked his economists and lawyers to work "enthusiastically" and with "team spirit" during a meeting of trade ministers that began on Monday.

"We will be asked to work long hours, to do work on all sorts of potentially unexpected assignments that may crop up, but such is our fate!" the Frenchman wrote in an e-mail to staff.

"What do I recommend during your long work hours in the next two weeks? Bread and bananas, or any other high energy diet at your disposal!," he added in the e-mail sent out last week.