Telecommunications and information technology are expected to receive the closest attention. Agriculture looks set to retain its long-held title as the heaviest stumbling block. The French, for example, have already turned down a proposed working group to review issues in advance of formal talks in 1999. We will not open our market without access to the other half of the world's revenue. That means not only Europe has to open, but Asia has to open.
Asian negotiators have yet to make counter-offers.
Access to competitively priced IT products, such as advanced telecommunications, is vital to economic growth. But Europe seems of two minds. At least Europe is on board. Most Asian countries are not. If the intense negotiations are an indication, Asian delegations led by an influential core of Southeast Asian economies will insist on flexibility.