That spending means they will require private investment. Oman's accession is poised for rapid completion. Members have been waiting for the Sultanate to implement legislation relating to intellectual property protection, customs valuation and equal treatment of foreign and domestic companies. Most of the fundamental issues have been resolved, and it is only a matter of days before the Sultanate is welcomed into the WTO fold. Saudi Arabia, however, still has a few laps to go.
Agriculture is a particularly thorny issue.
Saudi Arabia is a significant producer of dates, wheat and live sheep. Certain WTO members, particularly Australia, are unhappy with the level of subisidies provided by the government to farmers, import tariffs and what they see as restrictive quarantine regulations. Every country is concerned about food security - in Saudi Arabia, this means subsidies on dates and wheat. There are many WTO members who export these products, and when you apply to accede, you have to negotiate bilaterally with individual members. Australia, for instance, has been pretty aggressive.