[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13205-13206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6865]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public Comments on Twenty-Three
Accessions to the World Trade Organization and on U.S. Participation in
Negotiations for the Terms of These Accessions: Algeria, Andorra,
Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cambodia, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Nepal, Samoa, the Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan,
Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Yugoslavia
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: As a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United
States participates in negotiations for the terms of accession for new
Members to the WTO. The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is
requesting written comments from the public concerning U.S. commercial
interests and other issues related to the accessions of 23 countries
seeking to join the WTO, and to assist the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) in participation in negotiations for the terms of
those accessions. These countries are the Azerbaijan Republic
(Azerbaijan), Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas
(The Bahamas) the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria (Algeria),
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia), Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, the Independent State of Samoa (Samoa), the
Republic of the Sudan (Sudan), the Kingdom of Bhutan (Bhutan), the
Kingdom of Cambodia (Cambodia), the Kingdom of Nepal (Nepal), the
Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga), the Lao Democratic People's Republic (Laos),
the Lebanese Republic (Lebanon), Principality of Andorra (Andorra), the
Republic of Belarus (Belarus), the Republic of Cape Verde (Cape Verde),
the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan), the Republic of Seychelles
(the Seychelles), the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajikistan), the Republic
of Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan), the Republic of Yemen (Yemen), and the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam). With respect to Vietnam,
comments may take into consideration submissions made in response to
previous requests for written comments in the context of Vietnam's WTO
accession and the negotiation of a Bilateral Trade Agreement.
Public comments should include, but not be limited to, information
concerning those countries' current trade policies and practices which
affect market access for U.S. exports, e.g., tariffs, non-tariff
measures; trade and investment in services; other aspects of the trade
regime affecting U.S. trade interests subject to WTO provisions; and
other conditions or practices that impair the ability of these
countries to grant the benefit of WTO provisions to their trading
partners. Comments received will be considered in developing U.S.
positions and objectives for the multilateral and bilateral
negotiations that will determine the terms of WTO accession for
Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nepal, Samoa, the Seychelles, the
Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Yugoslavia.
DATES: Public comments should be received by noon on Wednesday, May 15,
2002.
ADDRESSES: Public comment should be submitted to: Gloria Blue,
Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office of the USTR, 1724 F Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20508. Attention: Office of WTO and Multilateral Affairs
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cecilia Leahy Klein, USTR Director for
WTO Accessions (202-395-3063) concerning the WTO accession process and
issues related to WTO rules; Paul Moore ([email protected]), USTR
Director for Market Access and Sarah Sipkins ([email protected]), USTR
Director for Tariffs (202-395-5097) concerning issues related to goods
market access negotiations; Sharon Sheffield ([email protected]),
Director for Agricultural Trade Policy (202-395-6127) concerning issues
related to trade in agricultural products or agricultural support; or
Christina Lund ([email protected]), USTR Senior Advisor for Services and
Intellectual Property Rights and Paul Burkhead ([email protected]),
USTR Director for Services Trade Affairs (202-395-4510) concerning
issues related to services market access. Procedural inquiries
concerning the public comment process should be directed to Gloria
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the
United States Trade Representatives, (202) 395-3475.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The countries of Algeria, Andorra,
Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cambodia, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Nepal, Samoa, the Seychelles, the Sudan,
Tajikistan, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Yugoslavia have
applied for accession to the WTO. Article XII of the Marrakesh
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization states that the
terms of WTO Membership for these countries will be negotiated with
current WTO Members bilaterally and in meetings of the Working Parties
established by the Members of the WTO to conduct the negotiations. The
results of these negotiations will include a Working Party report and
Protocol of Accession, specifying how the applicants for accession will
implement WTO Agreements, and Schedules of specific commitments and
concessions on market access for imported goods and services, which
will be annexed to the Protocol.
The Chairman of the Trade Policy Staff Committee invites written
comments from the public on trade and other measures currently applied
by Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nepal, Samoa, the Seychelles,
the Sudan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and
Yugoslavia that could be subject to the provisions of the WTO,
particularly tariffs applied to imports, and other market access issues
for goods and services, or practices or measures that could affect the
competitiveness of U.S. goods and services in those markets. All
comments received will be considered in developing U.S. positions and
objectives for participation in these negotiations.
Market access issues for goods of interest to the TPSC include, but
are not limited to: (a) Comments on possible tariff reductions and the
removal of restrictive border measures such as quotas or import
licensing requirements; (b) uniform application of the trading system;
(c) the provision of national
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treatment and nondiscriminatory treatment for imported goods,
especially in the area of domestic taxation and requirements for and
restrictions on the right to import and export goods; (d) transparency
in application of trade laws and regulations; (e) right of appeal in
cases involving application of trade laws and other laws relating to
WTO provisions, such as protection and enforcement of intellectual
property rights (IPR) and services; (f) customs processing issues, such
as document certification prior to export, fees, customs valuation, and
certification requirements for imports; (g) industrial export and
domestic subsidies; (h) agricultural export subsidies and domestic
supports and incentives; (i) safeguard and unfair trade practice
procedures applied to imports; (j) plant, animal, and human health and
safety requirements, including sanitary and phytosanitary requirements;
(k) technical barriers to trade; (l) utilization of preshipment
inspection services; (m) application of rules of origin; (n) activities
of state trading enterprises, including restrictions and other trade-
distorting practices made effective through state trading; (o) price
controls and policies; (p) foreign exchange controls that act as
barriers to trade and investment; (q) preferential trade arrangements,
including membership in free trade arrangements or customs unions; (r)
government procurement practices; (s) policies concerning trade in
civil aircraft; (t) the trade-related aspects of investment policies;
and (u) the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Market access issues for services of interest to the TPSC include,
but are not limited to, (a) transparency in application of trade laws
and regulations and the right of appeal in cases involving foreign
service suppliers; (b) the right to establish a commercial presence in
a foreign market to supply services; (c) the right to travel across
national borders to make use of a service; (d) the ability to supply
services when neither the supplier nor consumer travel, for example,
via electronic means; and (e) the right to enter a foreign market
temporarily to provide services.
Information on products or practices subject to these negotiations
should include, whenever appropriate or possible, the import or export
tariff classification number used for the product concerned, the CPC
number used for classification of the services sector concerned, or the
official citation of the law or regulation being discussed.
Persons submitting written comments should provide a statement, in
twenty (20) copies, by noon, Wednesday, May 15, 2002, to Gloria Blue,
Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative,
1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. Where possible, please
supplement written comments with a computer disk of the submission
containing as much of the technical details as possible. The disk
should have a label identifying the software used and the name of the
respondent. Written comments submitted, except for information granted
``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.6, will be
available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room (Room 101) at
the address noted above. An appointment to review the file may be made
by calling the Reading Room at (202) 395-6186. The Reading Room is open
to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Business confidential information, including any information
submitted on disks, will be subject to the requirements of 15 CFR
2003.6. Any business confidential material must be clearly marked as
such on the cover letter or page and each succeeding page, and must be
accompanied by a non-confidential summary thereof. If the submission
contains business confidential information, twenty copies of a public
version that does not contain confidential information must be
submitted. A justification as to why the information contained in the
submission should be treated confidentially must be included in the
submission. In addition, any submissions containing business
confidential information must be clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the
top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and each succeeding page
of the submission. The version that does not contain confidential
information should also be clearly marked, at the top and bottom of
each page, ``public version'' or ``non-confidential.''
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 02-6865 Filed 3-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P