Negotiations to further open the global agricultural market are to be initiated at the end of 1999. This is vital, because despite progress on agriculture in the Uruguay Round, many countries continue to maintain high tariffs and subsidies. Further negotiations are also already set for intellectual property rights, services and government procurement. All of these will be of great importance to the America economy. The WTO is not our sole trade emphasis.
Bilateral agreements have their place also.
Therefore, in addition to the extensive and growing body of liberalizing trade law within the WTO, the Clinton Administration has negotiated another 242 trade agreements worldwide covering a broad range of issues and countries. We will continue to seek opportunities for more agreements specifically aimed at enhancing market access. The key to the credibility of the WTO and our bilateral agreements, is to ensure that the United States secures the full benefits of all of these agreements. This Administration is taking an aggressive approach to monitoring compliance by our trading partners and enforcing U.S. rights. We work closely with USTR's enforcement body so as to capitalize our efforts.