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[House Document 107-15]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

107th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 107-15 

 
 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND 
           JORDAN ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FREE TRADE AREA

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              TRANSMITTING

A LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO IMPLEMENT THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED 
  STATES OF AMERICA AND THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN ON THE 
  ESTABLISHMENT OF A FREE TRADE AREA

  January  20, 2001.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
   Committees on Ways and Means and the Judiciary, and ordered to be 
                                printed

                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
79-011                     WASHINGTON : 2001

To the Congress of the United States:
    I am pleased to transmit a legislative proposal to 
implement the Agreement between the United States of America 
and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the Establishment of a 
Free Trade Area. Also transmitted is a section-by-section 
analysis.
    The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) provides 
critical support for a pivotal regional partner for U.S. 
efforts in the Middle East peace process. Jordan has taken 
extraordinary steps on behalf of peace and has served as a 
moderating and progressive force in the region. This agreement 
not only sends a strong and concrete message to Jordanians and 
Jordan's neighbors about the economic benefits of peace, but 
significantly contributes to stability throughout the region. 
This Agreement is the capstone of our economic partnership with 
Jordan, which has also included U.S.-Jordanian cooperation on 
Jordan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), our 
joint Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, and our 
Bilateral Investment Treaty. This Agreement is a vote of 
confidence in Jordan's economic reform program, which should 
serve as a source of growth and opportunity for Jordanians in 
the coming years.
    The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement achieves the highest 
possible commitments from Jordan on behalf of U.S. business on 
key trade issues, providing significant and extensive 
liberalization across a wide spectrum of trade issues. for 
example, it will eliminate all tariffs on industrial goods and 
agricultural products within 10 years. The FTA covers all 
agriculture without exception. The Agreement will also 
eliminate commercial barriers to bilateral trade in services 
originating in the United States and Jordan. Specific 
liberalization has been achieved in many key services sectors, 
including energy distribution, convention, printing and 
publishing, courier, audiovisual, education, environmental, 
financial, health, tourism, and transport services.
    In the area of intellectual property rights, the U.S.-
Jordan Free Trade Agreement builds on the strong commitments 
Jordan made in acceding to the WTO. The provisions of the FTA 
incorporate the most up-to-date international standards for 
copyright protection, as well as protection for confidential 
test data for pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals and 
stepped-up commitments on enforcement. Among other things, 
Jordan has undertaken to ratify and implement the World 
Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Copyright Treaty 
and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty within 2 years.
    The FTA also includes, for the first time ever in the text 
of a trade agreement, a set of substantive provisions on 
electronic commerce. Both countries agreed to seek to avoid 
imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions, imposing 
unnecessary barriers to market access for digitized products, 
and impeding the ability to deliver services through electronic 
means. These provisions also tie in with commitments in the 
services area that, taken together, aim at encouraging 
investment in new technologies and stimulating the innovative 
uses of networks to deliver products and services.
    The FTA joins free trade and open markets with civic 
responsibilities. In this Agreement, the United States and 
Jordan affirm the importance of not relaxing labor or 
environmental laws in order to increase trade. It is important 
to note that the FTA does not require either country to adopt 
any new laws in these areas, but rather includes commitments 
that each country enforce its own labor and environmental laws.
    The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement will help advance the 
long-term U.S. objective of fostering greater Middle 
Eastregional economic integration in support of the establishment of a 
just, comprehensive, and lasting peace, while providing greater market 
access for U.S. goods, services, and investment. I urge the prompt and 
favorable consideration of this legislation.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, January 6, 2001.
    
    
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