Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 51 / Thursday, March 16, 1995 / Notices 14325

In this document, Customs is

announcing the following public

meetings on AES:

1. Norfolk, Virginia—March 24, 1995,

commencing at 9:00 a.m., Norfolk

International Terminal, Warehouse #4,

Building C—Training Room, Terminal

Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23518, Point of

Contact: Mr. Paul Somers (804) 441–

6731, Pre-registration fax number: (804)

441–6630.

2. Los Angeles, California—March 31,

1995, commencing at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00

p.m., Port of Los Angeles Building,

Board Room–2nd Floor, 425 South Palos

Verdes Street, San Pedro, California

90733, Point of Contact: Ms. Mary

Curcio (310) 514–6962, Pre-registration

fax number: (310) 514–6090.

Additional public meetings on AES

Implementation Phase I are planned for

the following locations; Houston, Texas,

April 19, 1995, and Charleston, South

Carolina, April 4 or 5, 1995.

Appropriate notice will be published in

the Federal Register when the dates,

times and specific locations for these

meetings have been finalized.

Dated: March 10, 1995.

Sharon A. Mazur,

Director, AES Development Team.

[FR Doc. 95–6458 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4820–02–P

Internal Revenue Service

Art Advisory Panel of the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue

Availability of Report of 1994 Closed

Meetings

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service,

Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of availability of report

on closed meetings of the Art Advisory

Panel.

SUMMARY: The report is now available.

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. app. I section

10(d), of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act; and 5 U.S.C. section

552b, the Government in the Sunshine

Act; and Treasury Directive 21–03

section 8 (1–29–87): A report

summarizing the closed meeting

activities of the Art Advisory Panel

during 1994, has been prepared. A copy

of this report has been filed with the

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for

Management and is now available for

public inspection at: Internal Revenue

Service, Freedom of Information

Reading Room, Room 1565, 1111

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,

DC 20224.

Requests for copies should be

addressed to: Director, Disclosure

Operations Division, Attn: FOI Reading

Room, Box 388, Benjamin Franklin

Station, Washington, DC 20224,

Telephone (202) 622–5164 (Not a toll

free telephone number).

The Commissioner of Internal

Revenue has determined that this

document is not a major rule as defined

in Executive Order 12866 and that a

regulatory impact analysis therefore is

not required. Neither does this

document constitute a rule subject to

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C.

chapter 6).

For further information contact: Karen

Carolan, CC:AP:AS:4, 901 D Street, SW.,

Room 224, Washington, DC 20024,

Telephone (202) 401–4128 (Not a toll

free telephone number).

Margaret Milner Richardson,

Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

[FR Doc. 95–6437 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4830–01–U

Office of Thrift Supervision

Carteret Federal Savings Bank; Notice

of Replacement of Conservator With a

Receiver

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant

to the authority contained in

subdivision (C) of § 5(d)(2) of the Home

Owners’ Loan Act, the Office of Thrift

Supervision duly replaced the

Resolution Trust Corporation as

Conservator for Carteret Federal Savings

Bank, Madison, New Jersey

(‘‘Association’’), with the Resolution

Trust Corporation as sole Receiver for

the Association on March 10, 1995.

Dated: March 13, 1995.

By the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Nadine Y. Washington,

Corporate Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–6532 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6720–01–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Professional Development of African

Radio Station Owners and Managers

ACTION: Notice; request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen

Exchanges of the United States

Information Agency’s Bureau of

Education and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for an

assistance award. Public or private nonprofit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation

501(c)(3) may apply to develop two-way

exchange projects for radio station

owners and managers in selected

African countries. The Office proposes

development of two separate projects

focused on radio station management:

(a) One project for francophone African

participants; and (b) one project for

anglophone African participants.

Applicants may submit proposals to

develop one or both projects. The

projects should enhance participants’

skills in managing their broadcasting

operations and assist them to develop

effective business management

strategies. Each project should provide

U.S.-based activities for approximately

9–12 African radio station owners and

managers. Each project also should

provide in-country workshops or

consultancies to assist participating

broadcasters implement appropriate

business management practices. The

projects should begin in fall 1995.

Applicants are encouraged to consult

with the U.S. Information Service

(USIS) posts in participating countries

in the development of the project

proposals.

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries * * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to the

above title and reference number E/P–

95–50.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: All

copies must be received at the U.S.

Information Agency by 5 p.m.

Washington, D.C. time on Friday, May

12, 1995. Faxed documents will not be

accepted, nor will documents

postmarked on May 12, 1995, but

received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure that proposals are received by

the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Africa/Near East/South Asia Division of
14326 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 51 / Thursday, March 16, 1995 / Notices

the Office of Citizen Exchanges, U.S.

Information Agency, 301 4th Street,

SW., Room 220, Washington, DC 20547,

tel. 202–619–5319, fax 202–619–4350,

Internet address STAYLOR@USIA.GOV,

to request a Solicitation Package, which

includes more detailed award criteria;

all application forms; and guidelines for

preparing proposals, including specific

criteria for preparation of the proposal

budget. Please specify USIA Program

Officer Stephen Taylor on all inquiries

and correspondences. Interested

applicants should read the complete

Federal Register announcement before

addressing inquiries to the Office of

Citizen Exchanges or submitting their

proposals. Once the RFP deadline has

passed, the Office of Citizen Exchanges

may not discuss this competition in any

way with applicants until the Bureau

proposal review process has been

completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all

instructions provided in the Solicitation

Package and send fully completed

applications. Send the original and 14

copies to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.:

E/P–95–50, Office of Grants

Management, E/XE, Room 336, 301 4th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to the Bureau’s authorizing legislation,

programs must maintain a non-political

character and should be balanced and

representative of the diversity of

American political, social, and cultural

life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be interpreted

in the broadest sense and encompass

differences including but not limited to

race, gender, religion, geographic

location, socio-economic status, and

physical challenges. Applicants are

strongly encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle.

Overview

Background

Several African governments have

adopted policies which, in some cases,

have promoted development of new,

independent radio stations, and in other

cases have sparked interest in

commercializing state-run radio

services. The democratic transition in

Mali brought greater press freedoms,

and today some nineteen independent

radio stations are on the air. Tanzania

and Niger recently began issuing

broadcasting licenses. In Niger, two

private radio stations are on the air and

more than a dozen prospective

broadcasters have received licenses.

While these station owners and

managers are enthusiastic and devoted,

most have little or no management

experience and many of their staff are

untrained. High operating costs are a

constant threat to their survival. In

countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia

and Malawi, governments are looking to

commercialize their state-run radios to

boost revenues and reduce reliance on

state funding. Radio managers in these

and other countries could benefit from

a project offering strategies to enhance

the viability and overall management of

their stations.

Program Overview

The Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/P)

proposes development of two projects

for African participants to promote

development of business management

skills applicable to radio broadcasting.

One project will be designed for

participants in selected anglophone

African countries. The second project

will target selected francophone

countries. Each two-way exchange

should include activities for 9–12

participants in the United States and

opportunities for American specialists

to share their expertise during incountry activities in Africa. While the

projects should introduce participants

to a variety of radio broadcasting

management practices, the programs

should concentrate on activities and site

visits appropriate to the technology and

infrastructure available in Africa. The

projects should be designed to

accommodate participants new to

broadcasting management, and

sufficiently flexible to assist

independent stations as well as staterun services considering

commercializing or enhancing overall

management. Participants should study

station management practices, business

planning strategies and marketing

concepts. They also should receive an

overview of professional journalism

standards which managers must oversee

and identify strategies to promote staff

development.

These two-way exchange projects also

should create new relationships,

opening channels of communication

between U.S. and African broadcasters.

These ties ideally should assist

continued improvement of station

management practices and enhance the

viability of independent radio

broadcasting in Africa. The projects

should begin in fall 1995.

Project Objectives

Each two-way exchange project

should be designed to:

—Introduce participants to fundamental

business management skills

applicable to station management,

including financial planning, cash

management and staff development;

—Analyze income resources for radio

stations, including advertisements,

and examine strategies for surviving

the initial stages of launching a new

broadcasting service;

—Examine marketing strategies aimed at

attracting advertisers and, where

appropriate, study the

interrelationship among programming

content, objective news reporting and

maintaining advertisers as clients;

—Develop strategies for implementing

improved station management

practices;

—Examine media-government relations

and demonstrate how the

independent reporting of political and

economic developments helps shape

government policy and public

opinion;

—Provide an overview of journalistic

ethics and the standards of

professional journalism; and

—Establish linkages between African

station owners and managers, and

their U.S. counterparts, providing a

resource for continued professional

development.

Participants

The participants will be owners and

managers of radio stations in selected

African countries. The anglophone

project should be designed for

participants from Malawi, Tanzania,

Zambia and Zimbabwe. All participants

will have strong English language skills.

The francophone project should be

designed for participants from Mali,

Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso. For

this project, two U.S. State Department

interpreters and one escort officer will

be available for U.S.-based activities.

For the program phases in Africa, the

grantee institution will select the

American presenters in consultation

with USIA. Presenters conducting

activities in francophone Africa should

be French-fluent. The U.S. Phase of each

project should be designed for 9–12

participants. USIS personnel in the

participating countries will select the

participants, although recommendations

from the grantee institution are

welcome.

USIS offices will facilitate the

issuance of visas for the African

participants and can help with the

distribution of program-related

materials in participating countries.

Programmatic Considerations

USIA will give careful consideration

to proposals which demonstrate:

(1) In-depth, substantive knowledge of

the strategies and practices involved in

managing a broadcasting operation as a

successful business enterprise;

(2) First-hand connections with a

variety of American radio operations, as

well as public and private sector
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 51 / Thursday, March 16, 1995 / Notices 14327

organizations responsible for promoting

journalistic professionalism and

successful business management;

(3) The capacity to organize and

manage international exchange

programs, including the handling of predeparture arrangements, orientation

activities, monitoring and problemsolving involved in such programs.

USIA is especially interested in multiphase programs in which the phases

build on one another and lay the

groundwork for new and long-term

relationships between American and

African professionals. Proposals which

are overly ambitious and those which

are very general in nature will not be

competitive. The Office of Citizen

Exchanges does not award grants to

support projects whose focus is limited

to technical matters, or to support

scholarly research projects,

development of publications for

dissemination in the United States,

individual student exchanges, film

festivals or exhibits. The Office of

Citizen Exchanges does not provide

scholarships or support for long-term

(one semester or more) academic

studies. Competitions sponsored by

other Bureau offices also are announced

in the Federal Register and may have

different application requirements as

well as different objectives.

Program Suggestions

Each project should include at least

one phase for African participants in the

United States and at least one phase for

American specialists in Africa.

Programming elements might include

in-country workshops or seminars led

by American experts, specialized on-site

consultancies developed for radio

station owners in Africa, a study tour in

the United States for selected African

participants, and U.S.-based

professional attachments for African

broadcasters. A planning visit overseas

by the American organizer also could be

considered if crucial to successful

development and implementation of the

program.

The project should include formats

which maximize interaction between

the participants and the program

presenters. Participants should observe

the full range of business management

and financial planning activities on the

part of radio station owners and

managers. They might also observe the

interaction of station owners with

public and private sector organizations

involved in formulating, implementing

and evaluating policies that affect U.S.

broadcasting, such as professional

associations, advertising agencies, trade

unions, government agencies, and

community groups. Participants also

might visit university-based radio

stations to observe training programs

and study the role of such stations in

the broadcasting industry. The program

design should provide adequate time for

participants to meet individually with

American professionals who have

similar interests and specializations.

While not required, the presenters’

familiarity with radio broadcasting in

the participating countries is desirable .

Program Responsibilities

The grantee institution’s

responsibilities include: Selecting

presenters, themes and topics for

discussion; organizing a coherent

progression of activities; providing any

support materials; providing all travel

arrangements, lodging and other

logistical arrangements for the visiting

African participants and the U.S.

presenters who travel to Africa; and

overseeing the project on a daily basis

to achieve maximum program

effectiveness. The grantee institution is

responsible for coordinating plans and

project implementation with E/P, USIS

officers in the participating countries

and collaborating African institutions.

At the start of each phase, the grantee

institution will conduct an orientation

session and, at the conclusion, conduct

participant evaluations. The institution

will submit a report at the conclusion of

each program phase, including a final

program report summarizing the entire

project and resulting organizational

links. The institution must also submit

a final financial report. To prepare the

participants for their U.S. experience, E/

P encourages the grantee organization to

forward a set of preliminary materials

which might include an introduction to

the U.S. system of government,

American notions of free speech and

freedom of the press, the practices of

U.S. broadcasters and other background

information about the project. E/P will

ask the participants to prepare brief

outlines describing their own particular

interests in these areas. The grantee

institution should brief the American

presenters on the participants’

backgrounds, interests and concerns.

Other Program Considerations

Consultation with USIS officers in the

participating countries in the

development of the project proposal is

encouraged. Letters of commitment from

participating U.S. and African

institutions and individuals would

enhance a proposal.

USIA also encourages the

development of specialized written

materials to enhance this professional

development program. USIA is

interested in organizations’ ideas on

how to ‘‘reuse’’ specialized materials by

providing them to universities, libraries

or other institutions for use by a larger

audience. If not already available,

glossaries of specialized terms might be

developed. However, please note that,

according to current USIA regulations,

materials developed with USIA funds

may not be distributed in the United

States.

The grantee institution should

maximize cost-sharing in all elements of

the project and seek to stimulate U.S.

private sector support, including from

foundations and corporations.

All participants will be covered under

the terms of a USIA-sponsored health

insurance policy. The premium is paid

by USIA directly to the insurance

company.

Funding

Competition for USIA funding

support is keen. Selection of a grantee

institution is based on the substantive

nature of the program proposal; the

applicant’s professional capability to

carry the program through to a

successful conclusion; and cost

effectiveness, including in-kind

contributions and the ability to keep

administrative costs at a minimum.

USIA will consider funding up to

approximately $145,000 for the

francophone project, and up to

approximately $135,000 for the

anglophone project, but grants awarded

to eligible organizations with less that

four years of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000. Grant applicants

may submit a proposal to manage both

the francophone and anglophone

projects, or may submit a proposal to

develop only one of these programs. If

submitting a proposal for both projects,

the applicant should be careful to avoid

duplication of costs.

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive line item budget for the

entire program based on the specific

guidance in the Solicitation Package.

Applicants must provide a summary

budget as well as a break-down

reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget. For

further clarification, applicants may

provide optional, separate sub-budgets

for each program phase or activity in

order to facilitate USIA decisions on

funding. USIA will consider funding the

following costs:

1. International and domestic air

fares; visas; transit costs (e.g., airport

fees); ground transportation costs.

2. Per diem: For foreign participants

during activities in the United States,

organizations have the option of using a

flat rate of $140/day or the published
14328 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 51 / Thursday, March 16, 1995 / Notices

Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) per

diem rates for individual American

cities.

Note: U.S. institutional staff must use the

published FTR per diem rates, not the fault

rate. For activities overseas, standard Federal

Travel Regulations per diem rates must be

used.

3. Escort-interpreters: Interpretation

for U.S.-based programs (if required) is

provided by the State Department’s

Language Services Division. Typically,

delegations ranging from 8–12

participants require two simultaneous

interpreters and one escort officer. Grant

proposal budgets should contain a flat

$140/day per diem rate for each State

Department escort/interpreter, as well as

home-program-home air fare of $400 per

interpreter and any U.S. travel expenses

during the program itself. Salary

expenses are covered centrally and are

not part of the applicant’s budget

proposal. USIA grants do not pay for

foreign interpreters to accompany

delegations during travel to or from

their home country. Interpreters are not

available for U.S.-based internship

activities.

4. Book and cultural allowances:

Participants are entitled to a one-time

book allowance of $50 plus a cultural

allowance of $150 per person during

programs taking place in the United

States. U.S. staff do not receive these

benefits. Escort interpreters are

reimbursed for actual cultural expenses

up to $150.00.

5. Consultants: Consultants may be

used to provide specialized expertise or

to make presentations. Honoraria

generally should not exceed $250/day.

Subcontracting organizations may also

be used, in which case the written

contract(s) should be included in the

proposal.

6. Materials development: Proposals

may contain costs to purchase, develop

and translate materials for participants.

USIA reserves the rights to these

materials for future use.

7. Room rentals, which generally

should not exceed $250/day.

8. One working meal per project, for

which per capita costs may not exceed

$5–$8 for a lunch or $14–$20 for a

dinner. The number of invited guests

may not exceed the number of

participants by more than a factor of two

to one.

9. Return travel allowance: $70 for

each participant which is to be used for

incidental expenditures incurred during

international travel.

10. Other costs necessary for the

effective administration of the program,

including salaries for grant organization

employees, benefits, and other direct

and indirect costs per detailed

instructions in the application package.

E/P encourages cost-sharing, which

may be in the form of allowable direct

or indirect costs. E/P would be

especially interested in proposals which

demonstrate a program vision which

goes well beyond that which can be

supported by the requested USIA grant

and which would try to use a USIA

grant to leverage additional funding

from other sources to support elements

of the broader program plan.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

USIA will acknowledge receipt of all

proposals and will review them for

technical eligibility. Proposals will be

deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the Agency contracts office, as well as

the USIA Office of African Affairs and

USIA posts overseas, where appropriate.

Proposals may also be reviewed by the

Office of the General Counsel or by

other Agency elements. Funding

decisions are at the discretion of the

USIA Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for grant awards resides with

the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Institutional Reputation and

Ability: Applicant institutions should

demonstrate their potential for

excellence in program design and

implementation and/or provide

documentation of successful programs.

If an applicant is a previous USIA grant

recipient, responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

Agency grants as determined by USIA’s

Office of Contracts will be considered.

Relevant substantive evaluations of

previous projects may also be

considered in this assessment.

2. Project Personnel: The thematic

and logistical expertise of project

personnel should be relevant to the

proposed program. Resumes or C.V.s

should be summaries which are relevant

to the specific proposal and no longer

than two pages each.

3. Program Planning: A detailed

agenda and relevant work plan should

demonstrate substantive rigor and

logistical capacity.

4. Thematic Expertise: Proposals

should demonstrate the organization’s

expertise in the subject area which

promises an effective sharing of

information.

5. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate the recipient’s

commitment to promoting the

awareness and understanding of

diversity.

6. Cross-Cultural Sensitivity and Area

Expertise: Evidence should be provided

of sensitivity to historical, linguistic,

religious, and other cross-cultural

factors, as well as relevant knowledge of

the target geographic area/country.

7. Ability to Achieve Program

Objectives: Objectives should be

realistic and feasible. The proposal

should clearly demonstrate how the

grantee institution will meet program

objectives.

8. Multiplier Effect: Proposed

programs should strengthen long-term

mutual understanding and contribute to

maximum sharing of information and

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual ties.

9. Cost-Effectiveness: Overhead and

direct administrative costs to USIA

should be kept as low as possible. All

other items proposed for USIA funding

should be necessary and appropriate to

achieve the program’s objectives.

10. Cost-Sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as direct

funding contributions and/or in-kind

support from the prospective grantee

institution and its partners.

11. Follow-on Activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

exchange activity (without USIA

support) which ensures that USIAsupported programs are not isolated

events.

12. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activity’s success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program.

USIA recommends that the proposal

include a draft survey questionnaire or

other technique plus description of a

methodology to use to link outcomes to

original project objectives. Grantees will

be expected to submit intermediate

reports after each project component is

concluded or quarterly, whichever is

less frequent.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 51 / Thursday, March 16, 1995 / Notices 14329

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The needs of the program

may require the award to be reduced,

revised, or increased. Final awards

cannot be made until funds have been

appropriated by Congress, allocated and

committed through internal USIA

procedures.

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the

results of the review process on or about

August 7, 1995. Awards made will be

subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Dated: March 8, 1995.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director, Educational and

Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95–6254 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Request for Comments Concerning

GATS Basic Telecommunications

Negotiations

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments

concerning commitments to be sought

in negotiations on basic

telecommunications services at the

World Trade Organization.

SUMMARY: The Office of the U.S. Trade

Representative (USTR) is soliciting

public comment on the requests to be

made to U.S. negotiating partners in the

Negotiating Group on Basic

Telecommunications of the General

Agreement on Trade in Services

(GATS). The GATS is one of the

Uruguay Round agreements

administered by the World Trade

Organization. Interested persons are

invited to submit their comments on

market-opening commitments that

should be sought in the basic

telecommunications sector by April 15,

1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William Corbett, Office of Services,

Investment and Intellectual Property,

Office of the United States Trade

Representative, at (202) 395–4510 or

Laura B. Sherman, Office of the General

Counsel, Office of the United States

Trade Representative, at (202) 395–

3150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Negotiating Group on Basic

Telecommunications (NGBT) was

created in April 1994 by the Marrakesh

Ministerial Decision. The Decision

states that ‘‘negotiations shall be entered

into on a voluntary basis with a view to

the progressive liberalization of trade in

telecommunications transport networks

and services within the framework of

the General Agreement on Trade in

Services’’ (GATS). The NGBT is

responsible for holding sectoral

negotiations on basic

telecommunications services; it has a

deadline for completing talks by April

30, 1996.

The United States is in the process of

preparing requests for market-opening

commitments from other countries

participating in the NGBT, a list of

which is attached. These requests must

be submitted by the end of April 1995.

The United States objective in the

negotiations is to obtain levels of

openness in the telecom markets of

other participants equivalent to the level

in the United States. Interested persons

are invited to submit their comments on

market-opening commitments that the

United States should request from

participating countries. Such

commitments may include wire or

wireless communications, regulatory

schemes, interconnection issues, foreign

ownership restrictions, and competition

safeguards, among other things.

Comments should be filed no later

than April 15, 1995. Comments must be

in English and provided in twenty

copies to Mr. William Corbett, Office of

Services, Investment and Intellectual

Property, Office of the United States

Trade Representative, 600 17th Street,

Washington, D.C. 20506.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

Countries Involved in the NGBT

Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile,

Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic,

France, Germany, Denmark, United

Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Sweden,

Austria, Finland, Spain, Greece,

Portugal, Netherlands, Luxembourg,

Belgium, Egypt, Hong Kong, Hungary,

India, Japan, Mauritius, Korea, Mexico,

Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Slovak

Republic, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey,

United States, Brazil, Brunei, China,

Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica,

Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland,

Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Madagascar,

Malaysia, Mauritius, Nicaragua,

Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland,

Romania, Russian Federation,

Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa,

Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay,

Venezuela.

[FR Doc. 95–6473 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

Defense Policy Advisory Committee

for Trade

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of closed meeting. The

March 29, 1995 meeting of the Defense

Policy Advisory Committee for Trade

will be closed to the public.

SUMMARY: The meeting will include a

review and discussion of current issues

which influence U.S. trade policy.

Pursuant to Section 2155(f)(2) of Title

19 of the United States Code, I have

determined that this meeting will be

concerned with matters the disclosure

of which would seriously compromise

the development by the United States

Government of trade policy, priorities,

negotiating objectives or bargaining

positions with respect to any trade

agreements, the operation of any trade

agreement and other matters arising in

connection with the development,

implementation and administration of

the trade policy of the United States.

DATES: The meeting is scheduled for

March 29, 1995, unless otherwise

notified.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia,

unless otherwise notified.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Clayton Parker, Director of

Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the

United States Trade Representative,

Executive Office of the President, (202)

395–6120.

Michael Kantor,

United States Trade Representative.

[FR Doc. 95–6472 Filed 3–15–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M