97-33350. Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Stainless Steel Wire Rod from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66849-66850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33350]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-428-824, A-475-820, A-588-843, A-580-829, A-469-807, A-401-806, and 
A-583-828]


Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations of Sales at 
Less Than Fair Value: Stainless Steel Wire Rod from Germany, Italy, 
Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 22, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irene Darzenta, James Maeder, or Erik 
Warga, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street 
and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone (202) 
482-6320, [phone], or [phone], respectively.

Postponement of Preliminary Determinations

    On August 19, 1997, the Department initiated antidumping duty 
investigations of imports of stainless steel wire rod from Germany, 
Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Taiwan. The notice of 
initiation stated that we would issue our preliminary determinations on 
or before January 6, 1998 (62 FR 45224, August 26, 1997).
    On December 11, 1997, petitioners made a timely request pursuant to 
19 CFR 351.205(e) of the Department's regulations for 50-day 
postponements of the preliminary determinations, until February 25, 
1998, pursuant to section 733(c)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act). Petitioners requested postponements because the 
Department is either (a) in the process of conducting below-cost 
investigations (in the Spain and Taiwan cases) or (b) evaluating 
petitioners' requests to initiate below-cost investigations (in the 
Italy, Japan, Korea and Sweden investigations), and it is the 
petitioners' intention that, by requesting postponements, the 
additional time will allow the Department to include data from any cost 
investigations in its preliminary determinations.
    In the investigation of stainless steel wire rod from Germany, the 
respondents have informed the Department that they are not cooperating 
in the investigation; as a result, the Department will have no choice 
but to use the most adverse facts available in its determination. 
Although no additional time is likely to be needed for the Department 
to prepare its preliminary determination in the Germany investigation, 
petitioners are

[[Page 66850]]

requesting postponement in this case as well so that all of the 
antidumping cases will remain on the same schedule and, thus, permit 
the International Trade Commission to cumulate the cases if it deems 
appropriate to do so. For these same reasons, petitioners also ask the 
Department to postpone all of the above-referenced cases by the same 
number of days in order to ensure that they remain on identical time 
schedules.
    For the reasons identified by petitioners, we are postponing the 
preliminary determinations under Section 733(c)(1) of the Act. We will 
make our preliminary determinations no later than February 25, 1998.
    This notice is published pursuant section 733(c)(2) of the Act and 
19 CFR 351.205(f).

    Dated: December 16, 1997.
Holly Kuga,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary.AD/CVD Enforcement, Group II.
[FR Doc. 97-33350 Filed 12-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P