Your article on the international view of arbitration made fascinating reading (see (2006) Gazette, 17 August, 26).

However, the writer omitted from the list of venues for arbitration one of the leading east-west arbitral centres, the International Arbitral Centre in Vienna (IAC). Set up under the auspices of Austria's Federal Economic Chamber, the IAC has always been a favourite arbitration institution. It has a distinguished list of arbitrators, speaking most of the languages of the commercial world, and has a proven record in fast and efficient decision-making.


Another attractive feature of arbitration under the Vienna rules is that arbitrators' fees are fixed in advance. This means that the parties are aware of the fees to be paid from the beginning. The fixing of their fees at the commencement also encourages the arbitrators to work as swiftly as possible to reach a decision. For details, see www.wko.at/arbitration.


Merran Loewenthal, Vienna