38872 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 121 / Thursday, June 22, 2000 / Notices

A–133, ‘‘Audits of Institutions of Higher

Education and Other Non-Profit

Institutions,’’ and 15 CFR Part 24,

‘‘Uniform Administrative Requirements

for Grants and Cooperative Agreements

to State and Local Governments,’’ as

applicable. Applications under this

program are not subject to Executive

Order 12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental

Review of Federal Programs.’’

(5) All non-profit applicants are

subject to a name check review process.

Name checks are intended to reveal if

any key individuals associate with the

applicant have been convicted of, or are

presently facing criminal charges such

as fraud, theft, perjury, or other matters

which significantly reflect on the

applicant’s management, honesty, or

financial integrity.

(6) A false statement on an

application is grounds for denial or

termination of funds and grounds for

possible punishment by a fine or

imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C.

1001.

(7) No award of Federal funds shall be

made to an applicant who has an

outstanding delinquent Federal debt

until either:

(i) The delinquent account is paid in

full,

(ii) A negotiated repayment schedule

is established and at least one payment

is received, or

(iii) Other arrangements satisfactory to

the Department of State are made.

(8) Buy American-Made Equipment or

Products—Applicants are encouraged

that any equipment or products

authorized to be purchased with

funding provided under this program

must be American-made to the

maximum extent feasible.

(9) The total dollar amount of the

indirect costs proposed in an

application under this program must not

exceed the indirect cost rate negotiated

and approved by a cognizant Federal

agency prior to the proposed effective

date of the award or 100 percent of the

total proposed direct cost dollar amount

in the application, whichever is less.

(d) If an application is selected for

funding, the Department of State has no

obligation to provide any additional

future funding in connection with the

award. Renewal of an award to increase

funding or extend the period of

performance is at the total discretion of

the Department of State.

(e) In accordance with Federal

statutes and regulations, no person on

grounds of race, color, age, sex, national

origin or disability shall be excluded

from participation in, denied benefits of

or be subjected to discrimination under

any program or activity receiving

assistance from the INL IDR program.

Notwithstanding any other provision of

law, no person is required to respond to

nor shall a person be subject to a

penalty for failure to comply with a

collection of information subject to the

requirements of the Paperwork

Reduction Act unless that collection of

information displays a current valid

OMB control number. The standard

forms have been approved by the Office

of Management and Budget pursuant to

the Paperwork Reduction Act under

OMB approval number 0348–0043,

0348–0044, and 0348–0046.

Classification: This notice has been

determined to be not significant for

purposes of Executive Order 12866.

Dated: June 15, 2000.

Thomas M. Browne Jr.,

Deputy Director, Office of Europe, NIS, and

Training, Bureau for International Narcotics

and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S.

Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–15834 Filed 6–21–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–17–P

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Notice of Invitation for Public

Comment From FTAA Committee of

Government Representatives on the

Participation of Civil Society

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative (USTR).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Office of the United

States Trade Representative is providing

notification that the Committee of

Government Representatives on the

Participation of Civil Society

(Committee), established by the 34

countries participating in the

negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the

Americas (FTAA), has issued an

invitation for public comment on trade

matters related to the FTAA process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: The

invitation for public comment and a

cover sheet identifying information to

be included with submissions to the

Committee have been posted on the

official FTAA website (www.ftaaalca.org) and are reproduced below. The

FTAA website also contains background

information regarding the FTAA

process, including the Committee’s

report of November 1999 to the FTAA

Trade Ministers and the Toronto and

San Jose Ministerial Declarations. Any

questions concerning the FTAA

negotiations should be addressed to the

agency’s Office of Western Hemisphere

Affairs at (202) 395–5190.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background on the FTAA

Negotiations

Miami Summit of the Americas. On

December 11, 1994, President Clinton

and the 33 other democratically-elected

leaders in the Western Hemisphere met

in Miami, Florida for the first Summit

of the Americas. They agreed to

conclude negotiations on a Free Trade

Area of the Americas (FTAA) no later

than the year 2005 and to achieve

concrete progress toward that objective

by the end of the century. The Miami

Declaration of Principles and Plan of

Action announced the agreements

reached by the leaders at the first

Summit of the Americas. With respect

to the FTAA, the Plan of Action states

in part:

We will strive to maximize market

openness through high levels of discipline as

we build upon existing agreements in the

Hemisphere. We will also strive for balanced

and comprehensive agreements, including

among others: Tariffs and non-tariff barriers

affecting trade in goods and services;

agriculture; subsidies; investment;

intellectual property rights; government

procurement; technical barriers to trade;

safeguards; rules of origin; antidumping and

countervailing duties; sanitary and

phytosanitary standards and procedures;

dispute resolution; and competition policy.

The Plan of Action also states:

Free trade and increased economic

integration are key factors for sustainable

development. This will be furthered as we

strive to make our trade liberalization and

environmental policies mutually supportive,

taking into account efforts undertaken by the

GATT/WTO and other international

organizations. As economic integration in the

Hemisphere proceeds, we will further secure

the observance and promotion of worker

rights, as defined by appropriate

international conventions. We will avoid

disguised restrictions on trade, in accordance

with the GATT/WTO and other international

obligations.

San Jose Ministerial. The 34 Western

Hemisphere ministers responsible for

trade met on March 19, 1998 in San

Jose, Costa Rica. At the San Jose

meeting, the trade ministers

recommended that the Western

Hemisphere leaders initiate the

negotiations and provided

recommendations on the structure,

objectives, principles, and venues of the

negotiations. The trade ministers

proposed the creation of nine

negotiating groups and three nonnegotiating committees and groups,

including the Committee of Government

Representatives on the Participation of

Civil Society. They also established the

Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) to

guide the work of the negotiating

groups, to decide on the overall

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 121 / Thursday, June 22, 2000 / Notices 38873

architecture of the FTAA agreement and

to address institutional issues.

Trade ministers also reiterated that

the FTAA negotiations will take into

account the broad social and economic

agenda contained in the Miami

Declaration of Principles and Plan of

Action with a view to ‘‘contributing to

raising living standards, to improving

the working conditions of all people in

the Americas and to better protecting

the environment.’’

The San Jose Ministerial Declaration,

as well as the Miami Declaration, can be

accessed through the official FTAA

website (www.ftaa-alca.org).

Santiago Summit of the Americas. On

April 18–19, 1998, President Clinton

and his 33 counterparts initiated the

Free Trade Area of the Americas

negotiations at the Summit of the

Americas meeting in Santiago, Chile.

The leaders agreed to the general

framework proposed by the 34 trade

ministers, which included the

establishment of nine negotiating groups

to be guided by the principles and

objectives agreed by the ministers in

San Jose.

The nine negotiating groups

established by the FTAA countries are

responsible for the following areas of

the negotiations: (1) Market access; (2)

investment; (3) services; (4) government

procurement; (5) dispute settlement; (6)

agriculture; (7) intellectual property

rights; (8) subsidies, antidumping and

countervailing duties; and (9)

competition policy. In addition to the

nine negotiating groups, three nonnegotiating committees and groups were

established. They are: (1) The

Consultative Group on Smaller

Economies; (2) the Committee of

Government Representatives on the

Participation of Civil Society; and (3)

the Joint Government-Private Sector

Committee of Experts on Electronic

Commerce. The negotiating groups and

non-negotiating committees and groups

began meeting in September 1998.

Toronto Ministerial Meeting. On

November 3–4, 1999, the FTAA

ministers met in Toronto to review the

progress made by the negotiating groups

during the first phase of the negotiations

and to determine the next steps to be

taken in the FTAA process. The

ministers in Toronto expressed approval

of the progress made by the negotiating

groups and directed them to begin

preparing draft texts of their respective

chapter, to be completed by the next

meeting of FTAA ministers in April

2001. The Toronto Declaration has been

posted on the official FTAA website

(www.ftaa-alca.org).

2. FTAA Committee of Government

Representatives on the Participation of

Civil Society

At the 1998 meeting in San Jose, the

trade ministers jointly recognized and

welcomed the interests and concerns

expressed by a broad spectrum of

interested non-governmental parties in

the hemisphere and encouraged these

and other parties to provide their views

on trade matters related to the FTAA

negotiations. In order to facilitate this

process, the ministers agreed to

establish the Committee of Government

Representatives on the Participation of

Civil Society. The TPSC published a

Federal Register notice on July 29, 1998

(63 FR 40579) requesting comments on

the operation of the Committee, which

was mandated to receive, analyze, and

report on the full range of comments

received from civil society from

throughout the hemisphere. At its first

meeting in October 1998, the Committee

approved an open invitation soliciting

views from the hemisphere’s public.

The open invitation was placed on the

FTAA website and countries agreed to

use national mechanisms to disseminate

the invitation further. In the United

States, the invitation was disseminated

through a variety of means, including

press releases, letters to advisory

committees and public meetings.

Prior to the Toronto Ministerial

Meeting, the Committee prepared a

report for the Ministers describing the

submissions it received from the public.

This report has been published on the

official FTAA website (www.ftaaalca.org.). Executive summaries of the

submissions have also been published

on the Department of State website

(www.state.gov/www/issues/economic/

current_issues.html).

3. Invitation for Public Comments

The Committee has issued a second

invitation to the public for comments on

the FTAA process. The U.S.

Government encourages the widest

participation in this public comment

process and will ensure that U.S.

negotiators review all submissions for

consideration in the ongoing FTAA

negotiations. The invitation is an

important part of our effort to ensure

that the views of the public receive

consideration in the FTAA negotiating

process. The comments received by the

Committee will form the basis for the

Committee’s next report to the FTAA

Trade Ministers.

The invitation has been posted on the

official FTAA website (www.ftaaalca.org), along with a cover sheet

detailing information that must be

included with all submissions to the

Committee. Those persons wishing to

submit comments must comply with the

requirements listed in the invitation,

particularly those contained in

paragraph 4, and include a completed

cover sheet with each submission. Both

the invitation and the cover sheet are

reproduced below. The deadline for

receipt of comments is September 30,

2000.

Peter F. Allgeier,

Associate United States Trade Representative

for the Western Hemisphere.

Open Invitation to Civil Society in FTAA

Participating Countries

1. During the Fifth Trade Ministerial

Meeting held in Toronto on November 4,

1999, the Ministers Responsible for Trade of

the Hemisphere welcomed the report of the

Committee of Government Representatives

on the Participation of Civil Society, which

presents a range of views received from

individuals and organizations in the

hemisphere. The Trade Ministers reaffirmed

their commitment to the principle of

transparency in the negotiating process and

to conducting their negotiations in such a

manner as to broaden public understanding

and support for the FTAA.

2. They stressed the fact that the

Committee was established as a mechanism

to fulfill this commitment and to obtain

ongoing input from Civil Society on trade

matters relevant to the FTAA through written

submissions, using the San Jose Declaration

as the frame of reference. They also requested

that the Committee present a report outlining

the full range of reviews received for their

consideration at the next Ministerial meeting

scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires in

April 2001.

3. The Committee acknowledges the

submissions received in response to its first

‘‘Open Invitation to Civil Society’’ and

thanks all those organizations and

individuals who took the time and effort to

contribute their views. In consideration of its

mandate, and in order to obtain ongoing

input from civil society on trade matters

relevant to the FTAA, using the San Jose

Declaration as the frame of reference, the

Committee extends this invitation, as of April

10, to Civil Society to express their views in

writing, by mail, fax, e-mail or courier.

4. In order to be considered, each

submission must:

• Identify the person(s) and/or

organization(s), with their address, that is/are

presenting the point of view.

• Refer to the trade matters related to the

FTAA process, using the Ministerial

Declarations of San Jose and Toronto as the

frame of reference;

• Be in concise written form, in one of the

official FTAA languages (Spanish, English,

French, Portuguese);

• Be prefaced by the information requested

in the cover sheet attached to this document

and that is available on the FTAA web site

(http://www.ftaa-alca.org);

• Include an executive summary of no

more than two pages, including reference to

the trade matters it refers to and the way the

38874 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 121 / Thursday, June 22, 2000 / Notices

views contribute to the FTAA process, as

stipulated in the Ministerial Declaration of

San Jose;

• Be sent directly to the Chair of the

Committee of Government Representatives

on the Participation of Civil Society, at the

following address: c/o Tripartite Committee

(REf. Civil Society), Economic Commission

for Latin American and the Caribbean

(ECLAC), 1825 K Street NW, Suite 1120,

Washington, D.C. 20006, Fax: (202) 296–

0826, e-mail: socs@eclac.org.

5. The Commission will prepare its next

report to Ministers on the basis of

submissions determined to confirm with

paragraph 4 of this invitation and that are

received up to September 30, 2000.

FTAA—COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY

Cover Sheet

Names(s)

Address

Organization(s) (if applicable)

Country(ies)/Region(s)

Number of Pages Language

ISSUES ADDRESSED (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Agriculture Subsidies, Antidumping and Countervailing Duties

Competition Policy Civil Society

Dispute Settlement Electronic Commerce

Government Procurement Smaller Economies

Intellectual Property Rights The FTAA Process

Investment Other:

Market Access

Services

Executive Summary—2 pages maximum—(see Open Invitation):

[FR Doc. 00–15660 Filed 6–21–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3901–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[OST Docket No. OST–2000–7538]

Notice of Test Plan for Determining

Potential for Interference from UltraWideband Devices (UWB) to Global

Positioning System (GPS) Receivers;

Review and Comment

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary,

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Since the potential for

interference from certain ultrawideband (UWB) parameters has been

determined through preliminary

analyses and tests, the Department of

Transportation has sponsored a more

rigorous test to evaluate the potential for

interference to Global Positioning

System (GPS) receivers from UWB

devices. The Department invites

comments on this test plan.

DATES: Comments should be submitted

in written form July 24, 2000.

ADDRESS: Send comments to:

Department of Transportation, Office of

the Secretary Radionavigation &

Positioning Staff, P–7, Room 10315, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590 Attn: GPS–UWB Comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sally L. Frodge, (202) 366–4894.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) is considering placing UWB

devices under Part 15 of the FCC

Regulations under Title 47 of the Code

of Federal Regulations and modifying

these rules accordingly. The FCC

released on May 11, 2000, a Notice of

Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM), ‘‘In the

Matter of Revision of Part 15 of the