[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 97 (Friday, May 17, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24999-25000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12426]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public Comments on the Accessions
of Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine to the World
Trade Organization (WTO), and on U.S. Participation in Negotiations for
the Terms of Those Accessions
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting written
public comments concerning U.S. commercial interests and other issues
related to the accession of Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia,
and Ukraine to the WTO. Public comments should include, but not be
limited to, information concerning these countries' current trade
policies and practices which affect (A) market access for U.S. exports,
e.g., tariffs, non-tariff measures; (B) trade and investment in
services, and (C) other aspects of their trade regimes subject to WTO
provisions that affect U.S. trade interests. 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 Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, and
Ukraine.
DATES: Public comments are due by noon on Friday, June 21, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Chattin, Director for Tariff
Negotiations (202-395-5097), Peter Collins, Deputy Assistant USTR for
Services and Investment (202-395-7271) or Cecilia Leahy Klein, Director
for WTO Accessions (202-395-3063), Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Chairman of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee invites written comments from the public on market access and
other issues to be addressed in the course of negotiations with
Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine for accession to
the WTO. Each of these countries has applied for membership in the WTO
and has
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initiated negotiations with other WTO members. The terms of membership
will be negotiated in bilateral meetings with government
representatives and in meetings of the Working Parties established by
the Members of the WTO to conduct the negotiations. All comments will
be considered in developing U.S. positions and objectives for
participation in these negotiations, establishment of schedules of
commitments and concessions in the areas of agriculture, industrial
goods, and trade and investment in services, and for development of the
elements of these countries' protocols of accession to the WTO.
The Committee is seeking public comments on the possible affect on
U.S. trade of these countries' accession to the WTO, with particular
reference to tariffs applied to imports and any other trade measures
currently applied by Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, and
Ukraine that could be subject to the provisions of the WTO,
particularly market access issues for goods and services or practices
that could affect the competitiveness of U.S. goods and services in
those markets. Issues of interest to the TPSC include, but are not
limited to: (a) Comments on possible tariff reductions and the removal
of border measures such as quotas or import licensing requirements; (b)
uniform application of the trading system (c) the provision of national
treatment and nondiscriminatory treatment for imports, especially in
the area of domestic taxation; (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; (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; (k) labeling and shelf-life requirements; (l) food
standards and other technical barriers to trade; (m) utilization of
preshipment inspection services; (n) activities of state trading
enterprises, including restrictions and other trade-distorting
practices; (o) price controls and policies; (p) government procurement
practices; (q) policies concerning trade in civil aircraft, and (r) the
trade-related aspects of investment policies and the protection and
enforcement of IPRs. Market access issues for services include, but are
not limited to, the right of establishment for U.S. services providers,
the ability to provide services on a cross border basis, and the
ability of persons to enter temporarily to provide services.
Information on products or practices subject to these negotiations
should include, whenever appropriate, the import or export tariff
classification number used by these countries for the product
concerned. Submissions also should clearly separate issues by country.
Persons submitting written comments should provide a statement, in
twenty copies, by noon, Friday, June 21, 1996, to Carolyn Frank,
Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative,
Room 501, 600 17th Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20508. Non-
confidential information received will be available for public
inspection by appointment, in the USTR Reading Room, Room 101, Monday
through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For
an appointment call Brenda Webb on 202-395-6186. Business confidential
information will be subject to the requirements of 15 CFR Sec. 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. Other countries
pursuing WTO accession whose negotiations are not yet sufficiently
advanced to warrant a request for public comment are Algeria, Belarus,
Cambodia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, Moldova, Nepal, Seychelles, Sudan, Tonga, Uzbekistan,
Vanuatu, and Vietnam.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 96-12426 Filed 5-16-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M
