U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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79–011 2000

106th Congress, 2d Session – – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 106–264

A PROCLAMATION TO AMEND THE GENERALIZED

SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES

COMMUNICATION

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

TRANSMITTING

THE NOTIFICATION OF SUSPENSION OF PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR BELARUS AS A BENEFICIARY DEVELOPING COUNTRY

UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES (GSP),

PURSUANT TO 40 U.S.C. APP. 1515a(b)

JULY 10, 2000.—Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and

ordered to be printed

(1)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

Washington, July 6, 2000.

Hon. J. DENNIS HASTERT, Speaker of the House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I hereby transmit a Proclamation in which

I have determined that it is appropriate to suspend preferential

treatment for Belarus as a beneficiary developing country under

the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) because Belarus has

not taken and is not taking steps to afford workers in Belarus

internationally recognized worker rights. The Proclamation also determines that Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia meet the definition of a ‘‘high income’’ country as defined by

the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and

that therefore they will be graduated from the GSP, effective January 1, 2002.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM J. CLINTON.

(3)

TO AMEND THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

1. Section 502(c)(7) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the

‘‘Trade Act’’) (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(7)), provides that, in determining

whether to designate any country a beneficiary developing country

under this section, the President shall take into account whether

that country has taken or is taking steps to afford internationally

recognized worker rights to workers in that country. Section

502(d)(1) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(d)(1)) provides that the

President may withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of dutyfree treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)

with respect to any designated beneficiary developing country

based on consideration of the factors set forth in sections 501 and

502(c) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2461 and 2462(c)). Section

502(f)(2) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(f)(2)) requires the President to notify the Congress and the affected country, at least 60

days before termination, of the President’s intention to terminate

the affected country’s designation as a beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP.

2. Section 502(e) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(e)) provides

that the President shall terminate the designation of a country as

a beneficiary developing country if the President determines that

such country has become a ‘‘high income’’ country as defined by the

official statistics of the International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development. Termination is effective on January 1 of the second

year following the year in which such determination is made.

3. Pursuant to section 502(d) of the Trade Act, and having considered the factors set forth in sections 501 and 502(c), I have determined that it is appropriate to suspend Belarus’s GSP benefits

because it has not taken and is not taking steps to afford workers

in that country internationally recognized worker rights. In order

to reflect the suspension of benefits under the GSP for articles imported from Belarus, I have determined that it is appropriate to

modify general note 4(a) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the

United States (HTS).

4. Pursuant to section 502(e) of the Trade Act, I have determined

that Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia meet

the definition of a ‘‘high income’’ country as defined by the official

statistics of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Accordingly, pursuant to section 502(e) of the Trade Act,

I am terminating the preferential treatment under the GSP for articles that are currently eligible for such treatment and that are

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imported from Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia, effective January 1, 2002.

5. Section 604 of the Trade Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the

relevant provisions of that Act, and of other Acts affecting import

treatment, and actions thereunder.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the

United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me

by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,

including but not limited to Title V and section 604 of the Trade

Act, do proclaim that:

(1) In order to reflect the suspension of benefits under the GSP

with respect to Belarus, general note 4(a) of the HTS is modified

by deleting ‘‘Belarus’’ from the list of independent countries, effective with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse

for consumption, on or after 60 days after the date of publication

of this proclamation in the Federal Register.

(2) In order to terminate the designation of Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia as beneficiary developing countries under the GSP, general note 4(a) of the HTS is modified by:

(a) deleting ‘‘Malta’’ and ‘‘Slovenia’’ from the list of independent countries, and

(b) deleting ‘‘French Polynesia’’ and ‘‘New Caledonia’’ from

the list of nonindependent countries and territories, effective

with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse

for consumption, on or after January 1, 2002.

(3) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and

twenty-fifth.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON.

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