U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick stressed role of U.S. h...

held similar consultations Mon. in Managua, Nicaragua, with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua. Ministerial meeting in Washington focused on new round of global trade negotiations at World Trade Organization meeting in Nov. and continued progress on Free Trade Area of the Americas. Among U.S. negotiating objectives in high-tech sector, Zoellick said, is need to “open up the basic and value-added telecom services because these provide the backbone for a technology network environment.” He said U.S. was “seeking the most liberalized environment we can for e-commerce. We are examining the services performed along the e-commerce value chain, whether basic and enhanced telecom, distribution, computers, advertising, express delivery or financial, because any break in that chain creates inefficiencies and infringes on the business and consumer benefits of e-commerce.” Zoellick also stressed need to improve standard for intellectual property and enforcement and to give technology companies help in “clearing technical and regulatory hurdles” in areas such as product approval and local content regulations.