UPDATE 2-Washington says it's ready to engage on WTO reform

* Washington considering selection of next chief
* Under Trump, trade body was partially paralysed
* Delegate sees speech as "positive news"

(Adds quotes, context throughout)
By Emma Farge
GENEVA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The United States is committed to
"positive, constructive and active engagement" with all members
of the World Trade Organization on reforming the body and is
actively considering who to choose as its next chief, a U.S.
official said on Friday.
The comments by David Bisbee, charge d'affaires at the U.S.
mission to the WTO, are an early sign of how U.S. President Joe
Biden plans to approach the global trade body and appeared to be
in sharp contrast with the stance of ex-president Donald Trump,
whose actions paralysed some of its workings.
"The United States stands ready to engage on all of these
difficult issues," Bisbee told a virtual informal WTO
ministerial gathering in place of the annual Davos meeting.
The 164-member WTO has gone for months without a
director-general after the Trump administration rejected a
candidate from Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, selected as the
first woman and first African to lead the body by a WTO panel.
Its top appeals body that arbitrates on global trade
disputes is also inoperable because the former U.S.
administration refused judge appointments, accusing the body of
overstepping its mandate and making unjustified trade rules.
"We look forward to progress on this (the selection of a new
director-general) and other key priorities in the near future,"
said Bisbee.
Among the other issues he mentioned were ongoing talks on
fisheries subsidies and the next ministerial conference.
One delegate described the U.S. speech as "positive news".
Reform of the 25-year-old WTO, including its Appellate Body,
is widely seen as a top priority, although countries have widely
different views about how this should be done.
The European Union is due to submit a WTO reform proposal
next month.
Trump, a strong advocate of "America First" unilateral
action, had described the WTO as "horrible" and biased towards
China.
Biden, who took office this month and favours a more
multilateral approach in diplomacy, has still to get his choice
of U.S. trade chief, Katherine Tai, approved by Congress.