An EC official criticized the computer chip pact.

The U.S.-Japanese price pact on semiconductors is politically damaging and should be suspended, said Christopher Wilkinson, a senior European Communities information technology official. “The agreement should be put into cold storage for six months to give everybody the chance to review less precedent-creating, less politically damaging solutions,” he said. The EC charged last week that the agreement runs contrary to international trade obligations and called for an investigation under General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade rules. The deal requires Japan to control the prices of most of its exported semiconductors whether they are sold in the United States or elsewhere.