A spokesman for the manufacturers' negotiating group, the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, said executives had been focusing on the trade negotiations with Japan last week.

The main negotiating groups, but particulalry that EU were then placed in an impossible position.

Accordingly, we commend to our negotiators the text submitted by the chairman of the agricultural negotiating group as a means to intensify the negotiations.

Then, at periodic intervals, and if all parties agreed, the full conference would reconvene to hear reports from the separate negotiating groups.

Mr. Dunkel said some negotiating groups would resume work next week.

The change, along with other modifications the union considered significant, appeared to have no immediate effect on the Management Council, the owners' negotiating group.

When the conference does reconvene, though, it would be only to hear reports from the bilateral negotiating groups about progress in their talks and not to impose conditions.

For two days, the top-level negotiating group circled around the issues, going nowhere.

For the Nordic and Baltic countries it is very gratifying that Estonia is in the first negotiating group.

A GATT spokesman said there would "certainly be some relief" that all the major negotiating groups now have an offer on the table.