Professor Dietrich Kappeler, Director Diplomatic Studies Programme, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva.

"The Impact of Information Technology on Preparation and Support of Small State Participation in Economic Negotiations."

Comment

Mr. De Souza commented that Internet access was no longer an option but a necessity.

Dr. Gonzales wondered whether there was any region which used a networking approach for negotiating.

Dr. Kappeler answered, no. He said that it was easier to create such facilities in the developing world as they would be starting from scratch whereas those in developed countries were faced with problems of compatibility because of the telecommunications technology they were already using. It was a hardware problem which he believed would give small developing foreign ministries the edge.

Mr. Bulbulia asked about confidentiality considerations when using information technology for negotiation.

Dr. Kappeler acknowledged that confidentiality was indeed a problem, but he hastened to add that there did exist software security systems for transmissions. It was necessary, he said, to protect the database from hackers but it could be secure if the software was carefully acquired.

Dr. Lewis added that if garbage was placed into a computer only garbage would come out of it. He thought that there were too many restrictions and saw the need for greater flow of and access to information.

Ambassador Bernal interjected that the real issue was a fear of technology.

Ms. Judith Thom asked how managers could more effectively use information technology in their decision making.

Mr. Beaubrun then asked whether there was a minimum standard for speed of access to information and asked how this would contribute to problems of use.

Dr. Kappeler answered that there was no minimum, but that standards were continuously getting higher. He said that one must have transmission capacity and a good width on the band one was using in order to maximise speed. He also thought that a fibre optic link could help.

Mr. Beaubrun wondered how executive management could get its hands-on experience with the use of information technology as a tool in decision-making.

Dr. Kappeler said that all states' hardware and software had to be up to date; all people, but especially those in authority, needed to be educated. In Malta, the Foreign Minister was the first to be trained. Those in authority had to be the first to be convinced of the usefulness of the technology otherwise barriers would continue to exist.

Mr. Noguera noted that this issue was about more than simply infrastructural concerns. There were political and structural problems such as with competition policy.

Dr. Kappeler stated that in many countries it was necessary to use information technology to effectively facilitate the flow of information. This could be regulated by the government.