[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60236-60237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26072]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Determination Under the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Trade Representative has determined that 
Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, 
Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama have implemented and follow, 
or are making substantial progress toward implementing and following, 
the customs procedures required by the Caribbean Basin Trade 
Partnership Act and, therefore, imports of eligible products from these 
countries qualify for the enhanced trade benefits provided under the 
Act.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 2, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Wilson, Director for 
Central America and the Caribbean, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, (202) 395-5190.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean Basin Trade partnership Act 
(Title II of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-
200) (CBTPA) expands the trade benefits available to Caribbean and 
Central American countries under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery 
Act (CBERA). The CBTPA reduces or eliminates tariffs and eliminates 
quantitative restrictions on certain products that previously were not 
eligible for preferential treatment under the CBERA. The enhanced trade 
benefits provided by the CBTPA are available to imports of eligible 
products from countries that (1) are designated as ``CBTPA beneficiary 
countries,'' and (2) have implemented and follow, or are making 
substantial progress toward implementing and following, certain customs 
procedures, drawn from Chapter 5 of the North American Free Trade 
Agreement, that allow U.S. Customs to verify the origin of the 
products.
    On October 2, 2000, the President designated all 24 current 
beneficiaries under the CBERA as ``CBTPA beneficiary countries.'' 
Proclamation 7351 delegated to the United States Trade Representative 
(USTR) the authority to determine whether the designated CBTPA 
beneficiary countries have implemented and follow, or are making 
substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs 
procedures required by the CBTPA. The President directed the USTR to 
announce any such determinations in the Federal Register and to 
implement any such determinations in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule 
(HTS).
    Based on information and commitments received from beneficiary 
countries to date, I have determined that Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican 
Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, 
and Panama have implemented and follow, or are making substantial 
progress toward implementing and following, the customs procedures 
required by the CBTPA. Accordingly, pursuant to the authority vested in 
the USTR by Proclamation 7351, the HTS is modified as provided in 
Proclamation 7351 and as specified in the Annex to this notice, 
effective with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, on or after October 2, 2000. The USTR will publish 
additional notices in the Federal Register announcing any 
determinations that other CBTPA beneficiary countries have satisfied 
the required customs procedures.

Charlene Barshefsky,
United States Trade Representative.

Annex

    Pursuant to the authority created in Proclamation 7351, the HTS is 
modified as follows:
    1(a). General note 17(a) to the HTS, as established by the annex to 
such Proclamation, is modified by inserting at the end of the text the 
following new sentence and enumeration:

    ``The following countries have been determined by the USTR to 
have satisfied the customs requirements of the CBTPA and, therefore, 
to be afforded the tariff treatment provided for in this note:
    Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama''

    (b). General note 17(d) to the HTS, as established by the annex to 
such Proclamation, is modified by striking ``the date announced in a 
Federal Register notice issued by the United

[[Page 60237]]

States Trade Representative'' and by inserting in lieu thereof 
``October 2, 2000.''
    2. The text of U.S. note 7 to subchapter II of chapter 98 of the 
HTS, as established by the annex to such Proclamation, is modified by 
inserting before it the paragraph designation ``(b)''. Such paragraph 
is modified by inserting at the end thereof the following new sentence 
and enumeration:

    ``The following countries have been determined by the USTR to 
have satisfied the customs requirements of the CBTPA and, therefore, 
to be afforded the tariff treatment provided for in this note:
    Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatamala, 
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama''

    3. U.S. note 1 subchapter XX of chapter 98 of the HTS, as 
established by the annex to such Proclamation, is modified by adding at 
the end of the text of such note the following new sentence and 
enumeration:

    ``The following countries have been determined by the USTR to 
have satisfied the customs requirements of the CBTPA and, therefore, 
to be afforded the tariff treatment provided for in this note:
    Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama''

    4. U.S. note 2(b) and (c) are each modified by striking the 
expression ``the date announced in a Federal Register notice issued by 
the United States Trade Representative'' and by inserting in lieu 
thereof ``October 2, 2000''.

[FR Doc. 00-26072 Filed 10-5-00; 2:22 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M