24962 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 10, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2202]

United States International

Telecommunications Advisory

Committee (ITAC); Notice of Meeting

The Department of State announces

that a meeting of the United States

International Telecommunications

Advisory Committee (ITAC) will be held

May 17, 1995, 1:30–4:00 p.m., in the

East Auditorium of the Department of

State, 2201 ‘‘C’’ Street, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. The Department

regrets the short notice of this meeting,

which has been caused by an

unanticipated invitation to participate

in an important international meeting

and the need to obtain timely

recommendations from ITAC.

The purpose of ITAC is to advise the

Department on policy, technical and

operational matters and to provide

strategic planning recommendations,

with respect to international

telecommunications and information

issues. The agenda of this meeting is to

consider Resolution 15—Review of the

Rights and Obligations of all Members

of the Sectors of the Union—of the

recent ITU Plenipotentiary Conference

(Kyoto, 1994) and any related matters.

In particular the Department is seeking

the recommendations of ITAC regarding

U.S. participation in the first meeting of

the Review Committee foreseen by

Resolution 15, which will be held at

ITU Headquarters in Geneva, May 29–

31. The Committee will review the

rights and obligations of ITU members

(the ‘‘small-m’’ members, or nongovernmental participants in ITU

activities) with the aim of enhancing

their rights, in recognition of their

contribution to the work of the ITU and

in such a way that their active and

effective participation is promoted.

Questions regarding the agenda or ITAC

in general may be directed to Richard

Shrum, Department of State (202–647–

0050).

Members of the general public may

attend the meetings and join in the

discussions, subject to the instructions

of the chair and seating availability. In

this regard, entry to the building is

controlled. All persons planning to

attend should advise the Department by

leaving a message on 202–647–0201, no

later than two days before the meeting.

Enter through the main lobby on C

Street. A picture ID will be required for

admittance.

Dated: May 3, 1995.

Richard E. Shrum,

ITAC Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 95–11468 Filed 5–9–95; 8:45 am]

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Bureau of Oceans and International

Environmental and Scientific Affairs

[Public Notice 2199]

Certifications Pursuant to Section 609

of Public Law 101–162

SUMMARY: On April 28, 1995, the

Department of State certified, pursuant

to Section 609 of Public Law 101–162,

that 9 countries with commercial

shrimp trawl fisheries in the Gulf of

Mexico, Caribbean and Western Atlantic

Ocean (Belize, Brazil, Columbia,

Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,

Panama, and Venezuela) have adopted

programs to reduce the incidental

capture of sea turtles in such fisheries

comparable to the program in effect in

the United States. The Department

certified that the fishing environment in

two other countries (Costa Rica and

Guatemala) does not pose a threat of the

incidental taking of sea turtles protected

under Public Law 101–162. The

Department was unable to issue

certifications on April 28 for Suriname,

Trinidad and Tobago, and French

Guiana and, as a result, shrimp imports

from these countries were prohibited

effective May 1, 1995 pursuant to Public

Law 101–162.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 10, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Hollis Summers, Office of Marine

Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and

International Environmental and

Scientific Affairs, Department of State,

Washington, DC 20520–7818; telephone:

(202) 647–3940.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

609 of Public Law 101–162 prohibits

imports of shrimp from certain nations

unless the President certifies to the

Congress by May 1 of each year either:

(1) That the harvesting nation has

adopted a program governing the

incidental capture of sea turtles in its

commercial shrimp fishery comparable

to the program in effect in the United

States; or (2) that the fishing

environment in the harvesting nations

does not pose a threat of the incidental

taking of sea turtles. The President has

delegated the authority to make this

certification to the Department of State.

Revised State Department guidelines for

making the required certifications were

published in the Federal Register on

February 18, 1993 (58 FR 9015).

The countries subject to the

provisions of Public Law 101–162

include Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa

Rica, French Guiana (EC), Guatemala,

Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,

Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tbago,

and Venezuela. On April 28, 1995, the

Department of State certified that 11 of

the 14 affected countries have met, for

the current year, the requirements of the

law. The countries that did not receive

a certification at that time were Trinidad

and Tabago, Suriname, and French

Guiana. As a result, shrimp imports

from Trinidad and Tabago were

prohibited pursuant to Public Law 101–

162 effective May 1, 1995. The ban on

shrimp imports from Suriname (in effect

since May 1, 1993) and French Guiana

(in effect since May 1, 1992) remain in

place.

The countries that received a

certification on April 28, 1995, were

Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica,

Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Honduras,

Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela;

with Trinidad and Tobago certified on

May 9, 1994. Of these, the Department

certified that the fishing environment in

Costa Rica and Guatemala does not pose

a threat of the incidental taking of sea

turtles protected by Public Law 101–

162. (In both these countries, the

commercial shrimp trawl fleet operates

exclusively in the Pacific Ocean with no

activity on the Caribbean side.) The

Department certified that the other ten

countries have adopted a program to

reduce the incidental capture of sea

turtles in the commercial shrimp trawl

fishery comparable to the U.S. program.

In reviewing information for the

purpose of making the certifications, the

Department looked at three principal

elements of each country’s program: The

legal and/or regulatory framework

establishing the TED requirement for all

commercial shrimp trawl vessels, except

those specifically exempt under the

Department’s guidelines; (2) the

implementation of the requirement and

the extent to which TEDs are in use on

all such vessels; and (3) the efforts of

each country to monitor and enforce the

TED requirement to ensure compliance.

Because each country that received a

certification this year has established

and is implementing the legal

requirement to use TEDs, the

Department will place particular

emphasis in making future certifications

on the third element, monitoring and

enforcement of the TED requirement.

Dated: April 28, 1995.

R. Tucker Scully,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans.

[FR Doc. 95–11450 Filed 5–9–95; 8:45 am]

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