8506 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 1997 / Notices

intellectual property rights (IPR) and

services; (f) customs processing issues;

such as document certification prior to

export, fees, customs valuation, and

certification requirements; (g) industrial

export and domestic subsidies; (h)

agricultural export subsidies and

domestic supports and incentives; (i)

safeguard and unfair trade practice

procedures applied to imports; (j) plant,

animal, and human health and safety

requirements; (k) requirements for and

restrictions on the right to import and

export goods; (l) technical barriers to

trade; (m) utilization of preshipment

inspection services; (n) activities of state

trading enterprises, including

restrictions and other trade-distorting

practices made effective through state

trading; (o) price controls and policies;

(p) foreign exchange controls that act as

barriers to trade and investment; (q)

membership in preferential trade

arrangements, free trade arrangements,

or customs unions; (r) government

procurement practices; (s) policies

concerning trade in civil aircraft; (t) the

trade-related aspects of investment

policies; and (u) the protection and

enforcement of intellectual property.

Market access issues for services

include, but are not limited to, the right

of establishment for U.S. services

providers, the right to purchase services

abroad, the ability to provide services

on a cross-border basis, and the ability

of persons to enter temporarily to

provide services.

Information on products or practices

subject to these negotiations should

include, whenever appropriate, the

import or export tariff classification

number used by Algeria, Jordan,

Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova,

Oman, Seychelles and Vanuatu for the

product concerned.

WRITTEN COMMENTS: All written

comments should be addressed to:

Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade

Policy Staff Committee, Office of the

United States Trade Representative, 600

17th Street N.W., Room 501,

Washington, D.C. 20508.

All submissions must be in English

and should conform to the information

requirements of 15 CFR 2003.

A party must provide ten copies of its

submission which must be received at

USTR no later than noon, Friday, March

28, 1997. If the submission contains

business confidential information, ten

copies of a non-confidential version

must also be submitted. A justification

as to why the information contained in

the submission should be treated

confidentially must be included in the

submission. In addition, any

submissions containing business

confidential information must be clearly

marked ‘‘confidential’’ at the top and

bottom of the cover page (or letter) and

of each succeeding page of the

submission. The version does not

contain confidential information should

also be clearly marked, at the top and

bottom of each page, ‘‘public version’’ or

‘‘non-confidential.’’

Written comments submitted in

connection with this request, except for

information granted ‘‘business

confidential’’ status pursuant to 15 CFR

2003.6, will be available for public

inspection shortly after the filing

deadline. Inspection is by appointment

only with the staff of the USTR Public

Reading Room and can be arranged by

calling (202) 395–6186.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

[FR Doc. 97–4645 Filed 2–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public

Comments on the Accession of

Vietnam to the World Trade

Organization (WTO), and on U.S.

Participation in Negotiations for the

Terms of Those Accessions

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff

Committee (TPSC) is requesting written

public comments concerning U.S.

commercial interests and other issues

related to the accession of Vietnam to

the WTO. Public comments should

include, but not be limited to,

information concerning that country’s

current trade policies and practices

which affect (A) market access for U.S.

exports, e.g., tariffs, non-tariff measures;

(B) trade and investment in services, (C)

other aspects of its trade regime

affecting U.S. trade interests subject to

WTO provisions, and (D) conditions or

practices that impair the ability of WTO

provisions to be applied on a reciprocal

basis in Vietnam’s trade regime.

Comments received will be considered

in developing U.S. positions and

objectives for the multilateral and

bilateral negotiations that will

determine the terms of WTO accession

for Vietnam to the World Trade

Organization.

DATES: Public comments are due by

noon on Friday, March 28, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Office of the U.S. Trade

Representative, 600 17th Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Chattin, Director for Tariff

Negotiations (202–395–5097), Peter

Collins, Deputy Assistant USTR for

Services and Investment (202–395–

7271), Joe Damond, Director for South

East Asia (202–395–6813), or Cecilia

Leahy Klein, Director for WTO

Accessions (202–395–9437), Office of

the U.S. Trade Representative.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Chairman of the Trade Policy Staff

Committee invites written comments

from the public on market access and

other issues to be addressed in the

course of negotiations with Vietnam to

the WTO. Vietnam applied for WTO

accession in January 1995. At that time,

a Working Party was established by the

WTO General Council to review the

application and to conduct negotiations

with Vietnam for the terms of its WTO

membership. The United States will

participate in the Working Party

deliberations and in bilateral

negotiations with Vietnam as part of the

accession process. All comments

received will be considered in

developing U.S. positions and objectives

for participation in these negotiations,

the establishment of schedules of

commitments and concessions in the

areas of agriculture, industrial goods,

and trade and investment in services,

and for the development of the elements

of the protocol of accession for Vietnam

to the WTO.

The Committee is seeking public

comments on the possible affect on U.S.

trade of the accession of Vietnam to the

WTO, with reference to tariffs applied to

imports and any other trade measures

currently applied by that country that

could be subject to the provisions of the

WTO; particularly market access issues

for goods and services, or practices that

could affect the competitiveness of U.S.

goods and services in that market. Issues

of interest to the TPSC include, but are

not limited to: (a) comments on possible

tariff reductions and the removal of

border measures such as quotas or

import licensing requirements; (b)

uniform application of the trading

system; (c) the provision of national

treatment and nondiscriminatory

treatment for imports, especially in the

area of domestic taxation; (d)

transparency in application of trade

laws and regulations; (e) right of appeal

in cases involving application of trade

laws and other laws relating to WTO

provisions, such as protection and

enforcement of intellectual property

rights (IPR) and services; (f) customs

processing issues, such as document

certification prior to export, fees,

customs valuation, and certification

requirements; (g) industrial export and
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 1997 / Notices 8507

domestic subsidies; (h) agricultural

export subsidies and domestic supports

and incentives; (i) safeguard and unfair

trade practice procedures applied to

imports; (j) plant, animal, and human

health and safety requirements; (k)

requirements for and restrictions on the

right to import and export goods: (l)

technical barriers to trade; (m)

utilization of preshipment inspection

services; (n) activities of state trading

enterprises, including restrictions and

other trade-distorting practices made

effective through state trading; (o) price

controls, two-tier pricing, and other

price policies; (p) foreign exchange

controls that act as barriers to trade and

investment; (q) membership in

preferential trade arrangements, free

trade arrangements, or customs unions;

(r) government procurement practices;

(s) policies concerning trade in civil

aircraft; (t) the trade-related aspects of

investment policies, and (u) the

protection and enforcement of

intellectual property. Market access

issues for services include, but are not

limited to, the right of establishment for

U.S. services providers, the right to

purchase services abroad, the ability to

provide services on a cross-border basis,

and the ability of persons to enter

temporarily to provide services.

Information on products or practices

subject to these negotiations should

include, whenever appropriate, the

import or export tariff classification

number used by Vietnam for the

product concerned.

All comments on the above subject

matter that were already provided in

response to FR 61 59920 published on

November 25, 1996 (requesting

comments on the Negotiation of a

Bilateral Trade Agreement Between the

United States and the Socialist Republic

of Vietnam), will be considered as

having also been submitted in response

to this request, absent notification to the

contrary. Supplementary comments to

such earlier submissions will also be

considered if submitted in response to

this notice.

WRITTEN COMMENTS: All written

comments should be addressed to:

Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade

Policy Staff Committee, Office of the

United States Trade Representative, 600

17th Street N.W., Room 501,

Washington, D.C. 20508.

All submissions must be in English

and should conform to the information

requirements of 15 CFR 2003.

A party must provide ten copies of its

submission which must be received at

USTR no later than noon, Friday, March

28, 1997. If the submission contains

business confidential information, ten

copies of a non-confidential version

must also be submitted. A justification

as to why the information contained in

the submission should be treated

confidentially must be included in the

submission. In addition, any

submissions containing business

confidential information must be clearly

marked ‘‘confidential’’ at the top and

bottom of the cover page (or letter) and

of each succeeding page of submission.

The version that does not contain

confidential information should also be

clearly marked, at the top and bottom of

each page, ‘‘public version’’ or ‘‘nonconfidential.’’

Written comments submitted in

connection with this request, except for

information granted ‘‘business

confidential’’ status pursuant to 15 CFR

2003.6, will be available for public

inspection shortly after the filing

deadline. Inspection is by appointment

only with the staff of the USTR Public

Reading Room and can be arranged by

calling (202) 395–6186.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

[FR Doc. 97–4646 Filed 2–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Maglev Study Advisory Committee;

Notice of Third Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA), Department of

Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of third meeting of the

Maglev Study Advisory Committee.

SUMMARY: As required by Section 9(a)(2)

of the Federal Advisory Committee Act

(FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2 (1988) and 41

C.F.R. Part 101–6, section 101–6,

1015(a), the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) gives notice of the

third meeting of the Maglev Study

Advisory Committee (‘‘MSAC’’). The

purpose of the meeting is to advise

DOT/FRA on the Congressionally

mandated study of the near-term

applications of maglev technology in the

United States.

DATES: The third meeting of the MSAC

is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

EST on Monday and Tuesday, March 24

and 25, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The third meeting of the

MSAC will be held in the 9th floor

Conference Room at FRA Headquarters,

1120 Vermont Avenue NW,

Washington, D.C. The meeting is open

to the public on a first-come, first-served

basis and is accessible to individuals

with disabilities. Those with special

needs should inform Mr. Mongini 5

days in advance of the meeting so

appropriate facilities can be provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Arrigo Mongini, Deputy Associate

Administrator for Railroad

Development, FRA RDV–2, 400 Seventh

Street S.W., Washington D.C. 20590

(mailing address only) or by telephone

at (202) 632–3286.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The third

meeting of the Maglev Study Advisory

Committee (MSAC) will be held on

March 24 and 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30

p.m. at the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) headquarters,

1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, DC, in the 9th floor

conference room. The meeting is open

to the public.

The MSAC was created by the

National Highway System Designation

Act to advise the Secretary of

Transportation in the preparation of a

report to be submitted by the Secretary

to the Congress evaluating the near term

applications of magnetic levitation

transportation technology in the U.S.

‘‘with particular emphasis on

identifying projects warranting

immediate application of such

technology.’’ The Act further specifies

that the study also ‘‘evaluate the use of

innovative finance techniques for the

construction and operation of such

projects.’’ The eight committee members

collectively have experience in

magnetic levitation transportation,

design and construction, public and

private finance, and infrastructure

policy disciplines. The conference

report on the National Highway System

Designation Act specifies that ‘‘[t]he

Committee should identify and analyze

specific magnetic leviation projects,

such as a connector from New York City

to its airports, the transportation project

under development between Baltimore,

Maryland and Washington, DC , and

technology transfer efforts underway in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so that

Congress can better assess how nearterm magnetic levitation technology

could complement existing modes of

transportation * * *.’’ The Secretary

has assigned responsibility for preparing

the report to the Federal Railroad

Administrator, working closely with the

MSAC. The Secretary’s report to the

Congress will discuss the extent to

which the above and other potential

magnetic levitation projects warrant

immediate application, taking into

account such factors as ability to be

financed, benefits vs costs, extent of

public commitment and support, and

national significance.