[Federal Register: January 24, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 3169-3170]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ja07-89]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Comments From the Public on Haiti's Eligibility for
Benefits Under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership
Encouragement Act of 2006
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership
Encouragement Act Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (the ``Subcommittee'') is requesting that the public provide
written comments on whether Haiti meets the eligibility requirements
set out in 5002(d) of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through
Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE). The Subcommittee will consider
these comments in developing a recommendation to the President on
Haiti's eligibility under HOPE. The President is required to make this
determination no later than March 20, 2007.
DATES: Public Comments are due at the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR) by noon, Tuesday, February 13, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to:
FR0504@USTR.EOP.GOV. For assistance or if unable to submit comments by
e-mail, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, at (202) 395-6143.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions, please
contact Gloria Blue, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th
Street, NW., Room F516, Washington, DC 20508, at (202) 395-3475. All
other questions should be directed to Viondette Lopez, Director of
Caribbean Affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, at (202)
395-6117.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act
(CBERA) (Pub. L. 98-67) (19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), as amended by HOPE,
authorizes the President to designate Haiti as a beneficiary country
eligible for duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles as well
as certain wire harness automotive components, if he determines that
Haiti meets the eligibility criteria set forth in: (1) Section 213a of
the CBERA (section 5002(d) of HOPE) and (2) section 502 of the 1974
Act. Application of preferential treatment, however, is also
conditioned on Haiti meeting conditions set out in section 5002(e) of
HOPE. Written comments are requested on whether Haiti meets the
eligibility requirements set out below.
Eligibility Requirements Under Section 5002(d)
(1) IN GENERAL--Haiti shall be eligible for preferential treatment
under this section if the President determines and certifies to
Congress that Haiti--
(A) has established, or is making continual progress toward
establishing--
(i) a market-based economy that protects private property rights,
incorporates an open rules-based trading system, and minimizes
government interference in the economy through measures such as price
controls, subsidies, and government ownership of economic assets;
(ii) the rule of law, political pluralism, and the right to due
process, a fair trial, and equal protection under the law;
(iii) the elimination of barriers to United States trade and
investment, including by--
(I) the provision of national treatment and measures to create an
environment conducive to domestic and foreign investment;
(II) the protection of intellectual property; and
(III) the resolution of bilateral trade and investment disputes;
(iv) economic policies to reduce poverty, increase the availability
of health care and educational opportunities, expand physical
infrastructure, promote the development of private enterprise, and
encourage the formation of capital markets through microcredit or other
programs;
(v) a system to combat corruption and bribery, such as signing and
implementing the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public
Officials in International Business Transactions; and
(vi) protection of internationally recognized worker rights,
including the right of association, the right to organize and bargain
collectively, a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or
compulsory labor, a minimum age for the employment of children, and
acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of
work, and occupational safety and health;
(B) does not engage in activities that undermine United States
national security or foreign policy interests; and
(C) does not engage in gross violations of internationally
recognized human rights or provide support for acts of international
terrorism and cooperates in international efforts to eliminate human
rights violations and terrorist activities.
Requirements for Submissions: In order to facilitate the prompt
processing of submissions, USTR requires electronic e-mail submissions
in response to this notice. Hand-delivered submissions will not be
accepted. Submissions should be single-copy transmissions in English
with the total submission not to exceed 10 single-spaced standard
letter-size pages. The e-mail transmission should use the following
subject line: ``Haiti Eligibility
[[Page 3170]]
for Benefits under HOPE''. Documents must be submitted as MSWord
(``.doc''), WordPerfect (``.wpd''), ADOBE (``.pdf''), or text
(``.txt'') files. Spreadsheets submitted as supporting documentation
are acceptable as Quattro Pro or Excel files, pre-formatted for
printing only on 8\1/2\ x 11 inch paper. To the extent possible, any
data attachments to the submission should be included in the same file
as the submission itself, and not as separate files. Submissions in
response to this notice will be subject to public inspection by
appointment with the staff of the USTR Public Reading Room except for
information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 CFR
2003.6.
If the submission contains business confidential information, a
non-confidential version of the submission must also be submitted that
indicates where confidential information was redacted by inserting
asterisks where material was deleted. In addition, the confidential
version must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and
bottom of each page of the document. The non-confidential version must
be clearly marked ``PUBLIC'' or ``NON-CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and
bottom of each page. Documents that are submitted without any marking
might not be accepted or will be considered public documents.
For any document containing business confidential information
submitted as an electronic attached file to an e-mail transmission, the
file name of the business confidential version should begin with the
characters ``BC-'', and the file name of the public version should
begin with the character ``P-''. The ``BC-'' or ``P-'' should be
followed by the name of the party (government, company, union,
association, etc.) which is submitting the comments.
E-mail submissions should not include separate cover letters or
messages in the message area of the e-mail; information that might
appear in any cover letter should be included directly in the attached
file containing the submission itself, including the sender's
identifying information with telephone number, fax number, and e-mail
address. The email address for these submissions is
FR0504@USTR.EOP.GOV. Documents not submitted in accordance with these
instructions might not be considered in this review. If unable to
provide submissions by e-mail, please contact Gloria Blue, Executive
Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143 to arrange
for an alternative method of transmission.
Public versions of all documents relating to this review will be
available for public review approximately three weeks after the due
date by appointment in the USTR Public Reading Room, 1724 F Street NW.,
Washington, DC. Availability of documents may be ascertained, and
appointments may be made from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, by calling 202-395-6186.
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E7-1121 Filed 1-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W7-P