[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 207 (Monday, October 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55591-55592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28305]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Secretarial Business Development Mission to India

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice serves to inform the public of a Secretarial 
Business Development Mission to India, December 6-13, 1997, and the 
opportunity to apply for participation in the mission; sets forth 
objectives, procedures, and participation criteria for the mission; and 
requests applications.

DATES: Applications should be submitted to Cheryl Bruner by November 
14, 1997, in order to ensure sufficient time to obtain in-country 
appointments for applicants selected to participate in the mission. 
Applications received after that date will be considered only if space 
and scheduling constraints permit. The mission is scheduled for: New 
Delhi, December 6-9; Calcutta, December 10, Chennai, December- 11; and 
Mumbai, December 12-13, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Request for and submission of applications--Applications are 
available from: Cheryl Bruner, Director of the Office of Business 
Liaison or Jennifer Johnson at (202) 482-1360 or via facsimile at (202) 
482-4054. Numbers listed in this notice are not toll-free. An original 
and two copies of the required application materials should be sent to 
the Project Officer noted above. Applications sent by facsimile must be 
immediately followed by submission of the original application to Ms. 
Bruner at the following address: Office of Business Liaison, Room 5062, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Constitution, Ave., N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Bruner or Jennifer Johnson at 
202 482-1360. Information is also available via the International Trade 
Administration's (ITA) Internet home page at ``<a href="http://www.ita.doc.gov/
uscs/doctm">http://www.ita.doc.gov/
uscs/doctm</a>''.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Trade Mission Description

    Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley, will lead a business 
development trade mission to India, one of Asia's most significant 
emerging markets, to promote expanded trade opportunities, advocate 
U.S. business interests, advance significant commercial policy 
objectives, and support the efforts of the U.S.-India Commercial 
Alliance (USICA) and the U.S.-India Business Council. The Secretary's 
mission will include U.S. companies whose interests range from 
assessing the opportunities in the Indian market to expanding existing 
business relationships. With stops in New Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, and 
Mumbai, the Secretary's mission will meet with government and business 
leaders in the dynamic commercial centers of four distinctly different 
regions of this large market.
    The itinerary of the India Mission will be as follows:

December 5 (Fri.) Leave United States
December 6 (Sat.) Arrive New Delhi
December 7 (Sun.) New Delhi
December 8 (Mon.) New Delhi
December 9 (Tues) New Delhi
December 10 (Wed) New Delhi depart for Calcutta/Arrive Calcutta
December 11 (Thurs.) Depart Calcutta, Arrive Chennai
December 12 (Fri) Depart Chennai, Arrive Mumbai
December 13 (Sat) Depart Mumbai, return to USA
December 14 (Sun) Arrive USA

    The goals for the Mission are:
    <bullet> Reaffirm the U.S. Government's commitment and support for 
India's program of economic reform and heighten U.S. private sector 
participation in India's economic growth. Emphasize how India and the 
U.S. can benefit from continued liberalization and privatization in 
India, and convey in public and private sector fora during the 
mission's stay in the country the U.S. Government's interest in seeing 
that the reforms undertaken by the Indian Government proceed.
    <bullet> Seek resolution of outstanding bilateral commercial issues 
and advocate U.S. interests regarding specific problems and 
opportunities. Key areas of focus: (1) Intellectual property rights; 
(2) banking and other financial services; (3) economic reforms; (4) 
power generation; and (5) broadcasting.
    A full description of the mission is set forth in the Mission 
Statement, which is available from Cheryl Bruner, Director of the 
Office of Business Liaison, at the above address or at website.

[[Page 55592]]

Trade Mission Participation Criteria

    The recruitment and selection of private sector participants in 
this mission will be conducted according to the Statement of Policy 
Governing Department of Commerce Overseas Trade Missions announced by 
Secretary Daley on March 3, l997. For the India business development 
mission, individuals must be at a level of executive seniority 
appropriate to the goals of the mission. Company participation will be 
determined on the basis of:
    <bullet> Consistency of the company's goals with the scope and 
desired outcome of the mission as described herein;
    <bullet> Relevance of a company's business line to the plan for the 
mission;
    <bullet> Past, present and prospective business activity in India; 
and
    <bullet> Diversity of company size, type, location, demographics 
and traditional under-representation in business.

    An applicant's partisan political activities (including political 
contributions) are irrelevant to the selection process. An interested 
party must fill out an application to be considered for participation 
in the mission.

Endorsements/Referrals

    Third parties may nominate or endorse potential applicants, but 
companies that are nominated or endorsed must themselves submit an 
application to be eligible for consideration. Referrals from political 
organizations will not be considered.

Costs

    The fees to participant in the mission have not yet been 
determined, and will be based on the number of participants. The fees 
will not cover travel or lodging expenses.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512.
Robert Marro,
Regional Director, Office of Africa, Near East and South Asia, 
International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 97-28305 Filed 10-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510 FP-U