The fifth objective is to obtain commitments to the freer movement of key business personnel. This is an area of increasing concern to US business, which is daily hampered by shortages of critical skills in an economy blessed by remarkably low rates of unemployment. Immigration rules should be revisited to permit easy access to visas and work permits for short-term entry of foreign experts to complete limited assignments and return home. We should of course ask the same of other countries, because US businesses need to be able to transfer skilled people to service their own and their customers' needs, whether in Buenos Aires or in Bangkok. The sixth objective is to strengthen GATS regulatory and transparency provisions .
Services industries are in general the most highly regulated.
In many instances, rules and regulations governing the provision of services are used in a manner to impede the ability of US firms to engage in doing domestic business on a level playing field with local businesses. Only by making regulations and regulatory processes transparent and accessible and treating foreign and domestic market participants equitably will firms be able to compete fairly on a global basis. Conclusion Mr. Chairman, CSI is dedicated to supporting our government's efforts to develop fully, this year, the complex range of services work that is outlined above, including the launch of market access negotiations. Given its strong commitment to open markets, CSI was actively involved in private sector preparations both for the Seattle Ministerial, and the Services 2000 negotiations. The inability of Trade Ministers to leave Seattle with a blueprint for global trade negotiations is a warning to all that obtaining further trade liberalization will not be easy.