[Federal Register: November 15, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 219)]
[Notices]
[Page 65674]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15no04-127]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), as Amended: Notice Regarding
the 2003 and 2004 Annual Reviews
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
received petitions in September 2004 to review certain practices in
certain beneficiary developing countries to determine whether such
countries are in compliance with the ATPA eligibility criteria. This
notice publishes a list of the September 2004 petitions that were filed
in response to the announcement of the annual review. In addition, this
notice specifies the status of those petitions filed in 2003 that have
remained under review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bennett M. Harman, Deputy Assistant
U.S. Trade Representative for Latin America, at (202) 395-9446.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.), as
renewed and amended by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication
Act of 2002 (ATPDEA) in the Trade Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-210),
provides trade benefits for eligible Andean countries. Pursuant to
section 3103(d) of the ATPDEA, USTR promulgated regulations (15 CFR
part 2016) (68 FR 43922) regarding the review of eligibility of
countries for the benefits of the ATPA, as amended.
In a Federal Register notice dated August 14, 2003, USTR initiated
the 2003 ATPA Annual Review and announced a deadline of September 15,
2003, for the filing of petitions (68 FR 48657). Several of these
petitions requested the review of certain practices in certain
beneficiary developing countries regarding compliance with the
eligibility criteria set forth in sections 203(c) and (d) and section
204(b)(6)(B) of the ATPA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 3203 (c) and (d); 19
U.S.C. 3203(b)(6)(B)).
In a Federal Register notice dated November 13, 2003, USTR
published a list of the responsive petitions filed pursuant to the
announcement of the annual review. The Trade Policy Staff Committee
(TPSC) has conducted a preliminary review of these petitions. 15 CFR
2016.2(b) provides for announcement of the results of the preliminary
review on or about December 1. 15 CFR 2016.2(b) also provides for
modification of the schedule if specified by Federal Register notice.
In a Federal Register notice dated December 30, 2003, USTR modified the
schedule for this review, specifying that the results would be
announced on or about March 31, 2004. In a Federal Register notice
dated April 5, 2004, USTR modified the schedule for this review. In a
Federal Register notice dated July 21, 2004, USTR announced that the
Trade Policy Staff Committee had determined that certain of the
petitions do not require action and terminated their review. The TPSC
also decided to modify the date of the announcement of the results of
preliminary review for the remaining 2003 petitions to coincide with
the 2004 review: Engelhard--Peru; Princeton Dover--Peru; LeTourneau--
Peru; Duke Energy--Peru; AFL-CIO--Ecuador; Human Rights Watch--Ecuador;
and US/LEAP--Ecuador.
In a Federal Register notice dated August 17, 2004, USTR initiated
the 2004 ATPA Annual Review and announced a deadline of September 15,
2004 for the filing of petitions (69 FR 51138). Following is the list
of responsive petitions that were filed for the 2004 review:
Ecuador--American Cast Iron Pipe Company
Ecuador--Chevron Texaco
Ecuador--Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Peru--Parsons Corporation
USTR also received updated information regarding certain matters
under consideration from the 2003 ATPA review:
Ecuador--Human Rights Watch
Ecuador--U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project
Peru--LeTourneau of Peru
USTR will announce the results of the preliminary review of the
2004 petitions and the remaining 2003 petitions on or about December 1,
2004.
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 04-25240 Filed 11-12-04; 8:45 am]