64472 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 209 / Friday, October 27, 2000 / Notices

Percent

Businesses and Small Agricultural Cooperatives Without Credit Available Elsewhere ................................. 4.000

The numbers assigned to this disaster

are 330306 for physical damage and

9J3300 for economic injury.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Nos. 59002 and 59008)

Dated: October 5, 2000.

Charles Payne,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–27636 Filed 10–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

United States—Israel Free Trade Area

Implementation Act; Designation of

Qualifying Industrial Zones

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Under the Unites—Israel Free

Trade Area Implementation Act (‘‘the

‘‘IFTA Act’’), products of qualifying

industrial zones encompassing portions

of Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt

are eligible to receive duty-free

treatment. Effective upon publication of

this notice, the United States Trade

Representative, pursuant to authority

delegated by the President, is

designating the Industry and

Information Technology Park

Development Co. (Jordan Cyber City

Co.), and the Aqaba Industrial Estate as

qualifying industrial zones under the

IFTA Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Adam Shub, Director for the Middle

East and Mediterranean, (202) 395–

9569, Office of USTR, 600 17th Street,

NW, Washington, D.C. 20508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to authority granted under section 9 of

the United States-Israel Free Trade Area

Implementation Act of 1985, as

amended (19 U.S.C. 2112 note), the

President proclaimed certain tariff

treatment for the West Bank, the Gaza

Strip, and qualifying industrial zones

(Proclamation 6955 of November 13,

1996 (61 FR 58761)). In particular, the

President proclaimed modifications to

general notes 3 and 8 of the Harmonized

Tariff Schedule of the United States: (a)

To provide duty-free treatment to

qualifying articles that are the product

of the West Bank or Gaza Strip or a

qualifying industrial zone and are

entered in accordance with the

provisions of section 9 of the IFTA Act;

(b) to provide that articles of Israel may

be treated as though they were articles

directly shipped from Israel for the

purposes of the United States—Israel

Free Trade Area Agreement (‘‘the

Agreement’’) even if shipped to the

United States from the West Bank, the

Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial

zone, if the articles otherwise meet the

requirements of the Agreement; and (c)

to provide that the cost or value of

materials produced in the West Bank,

the Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial

zone may be included in the cost or

value of materials produced in Israel

under section 1(c)(i) of Annex 3 of the

Agreement, and that the direct costs of

processing operations performed in the

West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or a

qualifying industrial zone may be

included in the direct costs of

processing operations performing in

Israel under section 1(c)(ii) of Annex 3

of the Agreement.

Section 9(e) of the IFTA Act defines

a ‘‘qualifying industrial zone’’ as an area

that ‘‘(1) encompasses portions of the

territory of Israel and Jordan or Israel

and Egypt; (2) has been designated by

local authorities as an enclave where

merchandise may enter without

payment of duty or exercise taxes; and

(3) has been specified by the President

as a qualifying industrial zone.’’ In

Proclamation 6955, the President

delegated to the United States Trade

Representative the authority to

designate qualifying industrial zones.

On March 13, 1998 (63 FR 12572), I

designated the Irbid Qualifying

Industrial Zone as a qualifying

industrial zone under section 9 of the

IFTA Act. On March 19, 1999 (64 FR

113623), I designated the Gateway

Projects Industrial Zone and the

expanded Irbid Qualifying Industrial

Zone as qualifying industrial zone

under section 9 of the IFTA Act. On

October 15, 1999 (64 FR 56015) I

designated Al-Kerak Industrial Estate,

the Ad-Dulayl Industrial Park, and the

Al-Tajamouat Industrial City as

qualifying industrial zones under

section 9 of the IFTA Act.

In a agreement dated August 6, 2000,

the Government of Israel and the

Government of the Hashemite Kingdom

of Jordan agreed to the creation of two

additional Qualifying Industrial Zones:

Industry and Information Technology

Park Development Co. (Jordan Cyber

City Co.), and the Aqaba Industrial

Estate. These zones encompass areas

under the customs control of the

respective Governments. The

Government of Israel and the

Government of Jordan further agreed

that merchandise may enter these areas

without payment of duty or excise taxes.

Accordingly, the Industry and

Information Technology Park

Development Co. (Jordan Cyber City

Co.), and the Aqaba Industrial estate

meet the criteria under paragraphs

9(e)(1) and (2) of the IFTA Act.

Therefore, pursuant to the authority

delegated to may by the President in

Proclamation 6955, I hereby designate

the Industry and Information

Technology Park Development Co.

(Jordan Cyber City Co.), and the Aqaba

Industrial Estate as qualifying industrial

zones under section 9 of the IFTA Act,

effective upon the date of publication of

this notice, applicable to goods shipped

from these Qualifying Industrial Zones

after such date.

Dated: October 24, 2000.

Charlene Barshefsky,

United States Trade Representative.

[FR Doc. 00–27702 Filed 10–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3901–01–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket No. WTO/D–210]

WTO Consultations Regarding

Belgium—Measures Affecting

Imported Rice

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Office of the United

States Trade Representative (USTR) is

providing notice that on October 12,

2000, the United States requested

consultations with Belgium under the

Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the

World Trade Organization (WTO),

regarding Belgium’s administration of

laws and regulations establishing the

customs duties applicable to rice

imported from the United States. Since

July 1997, Belgian customs authorities

have established customs values and

duties for rice by using reference prices,

resulting in an assessment of duties in

amounts that appear to exceed the duty

required by Headnote 7 of the Schedule

of Specific Commitments of the

European Communities and Their

Member States LXXX. Belgium’s

administration of its tariff regime for

rice, moreover, has contributed to

substantial uncertainty regarding the

rate of duty that will be applicable to

shipments of imported rice. The United

States considers that Belgium’s

measures relating to imported rice

appear to contravene Articles I, II, VII,

VIII, X and XI of the General Agreement