98-21029. Free Trade Area of the Americas

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 151 (Thursday, August 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42090-42091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21029]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Free Trade Area of the Americas

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on the Free Trade of the 
Americas (FTAA) joint public-private sector Experts Committee on 
Electronic Commerce (Experts Committee); identification of private 
sector experts in electronic commerce who may wish to participate in 
the work of the Experts Committee.

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SUMMARY: The FTAA Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce has been 
established by the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere participating 
in the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) invites public comment on the work plan of the Experts 
Committee. In addition, the TPSC seeks to identify U.S. private sector 
experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in participating 
in the work of the Experts Committee; interested members of the public 
are invited to submit written notice of their interest and their 
qualifications.

DATES: Written comments on the the Experts Committee and expressions of 
interest in participating in the work of the Committee should be 
submitted no later than September 8, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For procedural questions concerning public comments, contact Gloria 
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the 
United States Trade Representative, [phone]. All questions 
concerning the Experts Committee should be directed to Regina Vargo, 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Department 
of Commerce [phone], [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 18-19, 1998, President Clinton and 
his 33 counterparts in the Western Hemisphere initiated negotiations to 
create the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by the year 2005 and 
to achieve concrete progress toward that objective by the end of the 
century. The leaders established a general framework for the 
netotiations, including a Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), composed 
of the 34 vice ministers responsible for trade, to oversee the 
negotiations. They agreed to nine initial negotiating groups, a 
consultative group and two committees, one of which is a joint public-
private sector Experts Committee on Electronic Commerce. At its June 
1998 meeting in Buenos Aires, the TNC agreed that the Experts Committee 
will be chaired by Mr. Dale Marshall of Barbados. It also was agreed 
that the initial meeting of the Experts Committee would be held before 
the end of October in Miami.
    Experts Committee Terms of Reference: The objective of the Experts 
Committee is to make recommendations to trade ministers on how to 
increase and broaden the benefits of electronic commerce and how 
electronic commerce should be dealt with in the context of the FTAA 
negotiations. Four weeks before the October 1999 ministerial meeting, 
the Experts Committee is to provide recommendations to the TNC. In 
order to develop its recommendations, the Experts Committee will focus 
on:
     Increasing understanding of the potential benefits of 
electronic commerce to countries in the hemisphere;
     Identifying the environment that will allow electronic 
commerce to flourish;
     Discussing infrastructure questions; and
     Identifying how electronic commerce can facilitate the 
operation of trade obligations.
    Experts Committee Private Sector Representation: The Experts 
Committee will consist of both public and private sector 
representatives. Individual governments will identify private sector 
participants with a view toward balanced hemispheric representation in 
terms of geography and electronic commerce issue expertise. Although 
the FTAA countries have not yet established the details on private 
sector representation, including composition, number and final 
selection process, the TPSC seeks to identify U.S. private sector 
experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in participating 
in the work of the Committee.

Public Comments

    To prepare for the initial meeting of the Experts Committee in 
October 1998,

[[Page 42091]]

the TPSC invites written comments on how to maximize the effectiveness 
of private sector participation and on possible elements of a work plan 
to implement the Committee's terms of reference, described above. In 
addition, in order to assist the TPSC in identifying U.S. private 
sector experts on electronic commerce who may be interested in 
participating in the work of the Committee, members of the public are 
invited to submit written notice of their interest and describe their 
qualifications. Qualifications of interest include: demonstrated 
expertise in one or more aspects of electronic commerce; knowledge of 
the Western Hemisphere, including established contacts with foreign 
private sector interests in the region; an ability and willingness to 
broadly solicit views from and disseminate information to private 
sector interests that provide Internet services, network services, 
content and equipment, or that represent the views of other Internet 
experts in the private sector, and familiarity with U.S. and foreign 
trade and investment policies and obligations.
    Those persons wishing to submit written comments should provide 
twenty (20) typed copies (in English) to Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, Room 501, 600 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 
20508. Comments should state clearly the position taken and should 
describe the specific information supporting that position.
    If the submission contains business confidential information, 
twenty copies of a confidential version must also 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 of 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.''
    Written comments submitted in connection with this request, 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, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 
17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. An appointment to review the file 
may be made by calling Brenda Webb, [phone]. The Reading Room is 
open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 98-21029 Filed 8-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M